For This Life
by Black21Jack
Summary: AU- For this life, they were not brothers. They did not know the other's existence until their path crossed. Somehow, it did but not when they finally met each other. Their path had long collided before they realized it and they will have to live with the past.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello. I'm finally back and trust me when I say I've been counting for this day to come. And thankfully it did. I won't ramble much. I just want you to enjoy and leave a review of what you think. The first chapter will be up depending on whether I should proceed or not. And that depends on reviews. :)**

**So enjoy and have a blast of today!**

Prologue : I'm sorry

The graveyard was almost empty except for a boy standing still in front of a newly added tombstone. He hadn't moved since the others left. He didn't care the rain that soaked his jet-black hair. It was plastered to his forehead, his pale-tinted skin stood shockingly with the contrast. He was looking down on his brother's grave. The funeral went well. Those that came gave their condolences to the family. There's nothing more that could be said.

"I'm sorry." Except for those two words. He knew it was him at fault. He felt helpless because there's no way to turn back the clock. "I'm sorry, Max." The words kept repeating themselves as it escaped his lips. His blue eyes gaze never left the words carved under his brother's name, 'BELOVED SON AND BROTHER'. It was unfair to him. Max had left them too early. He was only nine.

"I'm sorry." The rain started to fall heavier, blending with the stream of tears on his face but he didn't move. He couldn't leave his brother, not after he left him. The rains poured and fell on him, as if punishing him for his sins. What's worse is that he couldn't feel anything. He wanted to feel something. He wanted to feel the grief, the pain, the hurt that his family members did. He felt none of those. Instead, there was this hollowness in his chest.

"I'm sorry." The dark-haired turned slowly, walking away from where his little brother was resting. He didn't want to leave but the sun was almost setting down and he knew his family would be worried. So with small steps and a reluctant heart, he left the cemetery but not before he whispered his promise, "I will always remind myself, Max. I'll always be sorry."

As he walked pass the cemetery gate, he never turned or looked back. The air of the New York City was heavy that day, for it also felt the warmness and sunlight slowly façade as the sun goes down and the night sky rises. A life had been taken, but somewhere across the city, another life was saved.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here is the first chapter. Hope you enjoy it. Happy reading! :)**

Chapter 1

Part I: Heading To A New Start

Magnus POV

The small ray of lights that managed to slip through the curtains somehow lit up half of the room. The warmth that comes with it along with the sound of cars and the citizens of New York City getting off to work was what that had waken me from my deep slumber. Alec was right. I shouldn't have stayed up late last night, especially not on the first day of school. This was our final and senior year in Institute High, an elite school located in the middle of the city and I wouldn't want to start with a bad record.

I can hear the sound of shower across the hall. Alec was getting ready and that's a sign for me to get up and about as well. Standing up, I stretch myself and walk to my bathroom in the room. I get to have the master bedroom since this was my apartment. Technically, it's my father's but he's in London for the past four years, living there while trying to handle his business. My aunt moved in to look after me. Last year when I was seventeen, Alec came and stayed with me and she moved out saying that we were big enough to take care of ourselves. She still comes sometimes, checking on both of us at least twice a week, bringing some of her amazing home-made brownies.

After taking a shower, I took out the school uniform that was hanging in my closet and put it on. I've always loved the school uniform because it made me look good. It also brings out Alec cerulean eye colour. The uniform was all black, with white lining around its sleeves and collar down to the button part of the blazer. We wear a white shirt on the inside and had a blue tie to complete it. In one word, it looked like a suit except for the part where the school logo was embedded on the blazer, right on our left chest.

Satisfied with my look on the first day, I walked out of my room bringing my schoolbag with me when I saw Alec in the kitchen. He was already in his uniform, striking as ever with his black hair nearly brushing the collar. I put down my things in the living room which was across the kitchen and sat on a stool, facing Alec. He had just finished making a sandwich when he handed it to me.

"Thanks. You had yours already?" I asked. He simply nodded.

"Are you picking up Camille?" Alec asked me. Camille and I have been seeing each other since 11th Grade. I took out my phone and texted her.

_Morning, Cam. Need a ride?_

Her reply came shortly after.

_Good morning. Nope. Lily's picking me up. See you at school. _

_Okay. See you. __  
><em>

"She's going with Lily." I saw how Alec's expression hardened for a small second before he regained himself and took a sip of his black coffee. I know I shouldn't have mentioned Lily's name; she was Alec's ex-girlfriend. They had a bad break up since it happened because of the 'accident'. I should stop. It's not my place to talk about it even if I was his best friend. Nobody talked about it.

"Are you ready to go?" Alec looked at me. I could still see the scar through his blue eyes. He may act like nothing ever happened that had changed him but all that I could see was a broken boy. He could never lie, not to me. The 'accident' really took away all of him. I was grateful he'd come to me when he had nothing. It was hard for him and he couldn't stand the pressure, not when everyone in the family was grieving. He had to leave his only sister alone with his parents. Fortunately, Isabelle was also going to the same school and she has Clary by her side.

"Yeah. We should be off right now." We walked out of the apartment. I locked the door while Alec pressed the elevator and we waited for it to come up. My apartment was on the top floor and the only one on that floor. It was convenient for me because I loved to have party on weekends. It was one of my charms, Alec once said. Other than that it was because I was dating Camille, the head cheerleader and hottest girl in Institute High.

Once we've reached the basement, I took out my car key and opened the door. It was a black Cadillac my father gave me for my sixteenth birthday. I was in the driver's seat and Alec entered next to me. I drove out from the parking space and head straight to school. It was seven blocks away from my place. By the time we reached the school compound, we still had at least 10 minutes to spare. I parked at the students' section where it was nearer to the classes. The teachers' section was in front of the administration hall along with the parking space for visitors. We both got out from the car and head to our lockers. Mine was a few spaces away from Alec's. I opened it and kept my bag on the bottom shelf.

"What do you have this morning?" I turned to Alec. He was getting his books out from his bag. His hair was covering his eyes and I fight the urge to push them aside.

"History. You?" He looked at me. He gave me a smile that I doubt what an actual smile looks like. It had been that way since, you know.

"French. I guess I'll see you at lunch?" I made it sound more like a question because you'll never know what to expect from Alec. He gave me a nod. As far as I know, it was a certain answer. I looked over Alec's shoulder and I could see Camille walking towards us. Not far behind her, I saw a red-head and a dark-haired that almost looked like a replica of Alec if it wasn't for her long hair.

"Hey, Camille." I gave her a chaste kiss on her lips and she returned it with a peck on my cheek. Her skirt was getting shorter and shorter each year. Most of the guys couldn't stand the temptation to turn their heads around for a second look and other girls could only stare in envy. I didn't bother to glare. Camille seemed to have wanted it.

"Hey. I really need to go because Madam Dorothea will kill me if I'm late on the first day." Madam Dorothea was her Calculus teacher. She was known for her likes in giving detentions.

"Okay. We'll catch up at lunch." She smiled when I let her go with her friends. When I turned to look at Alec, he was talking with Isabelle with that fake smile carved expertly on his face. I bet Isabelle noticed it too. She was his sister after all. I heard the bell rung and waved the siblings goodbye as I strode off to my class. I took a seat at the corner since I had a tall frame so I wouldn't be blocking the whiteboard.

The teacher, Mister Paul DeForce walked in followed by a boy. He had a blonde hair and a pair of gold eyes that match. From the look that my other classmates gave, I could tell that he was a new student. The uniform fits him well too or maybe it was just me obsessed with it. Mister DeForce asked him to introduce himself and so he did.

"Hello. I'm Jace Herondale and I'm new here.' He smiled.

Part II: The First Impressions

Jace POV

"Please take a sit, Mr. Herondale." I walked forward and sat next to a tall, Asian-looking guy. He looked at me and held out a hand.

"Magnus, Magnus Bane. So, you're new here?" He had a slight accent that I couldn't really comprehend. I extended my hand and shook his.

"Jace Herondale. Yeah." I answered shortly. The teacher started to teach so I opened my book and ended the conversation. The lesson was quite relaxing. The teacher was going at a pace, not too slow and not too fast. It was easy for me to understand and it seemed like the whole class was paying full attention. Not even once did Mister DeForce stop until the bell rang.

I got up and cleared my stuffs off the table. I was walking in the corridor, heading to my next class when I heard someone called my name. When I turned, I saw a brown-haired with glasses smiling widely at me.

"Hey Simon! I'm so glad to see you." We hugged for a while and when we pulled apart, Simon was still smiling so I returned it. I was truly happy to see my best friend. He was the reason I enrolled into Institute High. Well, it was his parent's doing that got me in here but it was thanks to Simon's persuasion. Unfortunately, Simon was a year younger so I could barely spend time with him in school but it didn't matter. We were neighbours so practically we see each other most of the time.

"So how was your first class? Like the changes?" Simon asked.

"Yeah, everything's nice so far." I replied but Simon wasn't even listening. I saw his gaze divert behind me so I turned my head and followed his eyes.

"What are you looking at?" It wasn't a what, it was who. I was trying to look past the students when I caught sight of a girl. She was small, petite actually compared to the tall-framed girl next to her who had a long black hair and dark brown eyes. She was attractive and stunning but my eyes were glued to the petite red-head with emerald pairs of orbs. Surprisingly, they were approaching us, both pair of eyes set on the guy next to me.

"Hello, Simon. Who's this?" The tall girl was looking at me so I smiled. She returned it genuinely and I noticed the red-head was also smiling at me. My heart skipped a beat at the small gesture. What was wrong with me? She's just a girl.

"Izzy and Clary, meet Jace. He's new here and he's in senior year. Jace, this is Isabelle." Simon gestured to the dark-haired.

"Call me Izzy." She said.

"And this is Clary." So that's her name, Clary. It fits her perfectly.

"Hi. I'm Jace." I said as in to clarify my name.

"Do you guys know one another or did you bumped into each other because I swear I saw you two were hugging." Izzy asked. Simon seemed to be dazzled for a moment upon hearing Izzy's question so I answered instead.

"We're neighbours. I live next to his house for years since he moved into town." I didn't dare to say the exact year because I hadn't really lived in my house for two years and I just got out from a place that's no to be mentioned to my new friends.

"Where were you from? Your old school?" This girl Izzy seemed to be full of questions. I couldn't really answer that. I hadn't been to school for a while, not until today. Thank god the bell rung. Simon and I let out a sigh that got Izzy confused. She had a quizzical look on her face when Clary, for the first time talked.

"We better go. It's nice seeing you, Jace. Si, why don't you bring him and sit with us at lunch? We'll see you there." She practically dragged Izzy out of the lockers' hall despite her small figure.

"I'll see you later, Jace. You might want to start running or you'll be late." Hearing Simon's warning, I lightly jogged to my next class. My head was still thinking about Clary when I reached the door.

"Ah, Mr. Herondale. It's nice of you to join us on your first day. Have a seat. Next time, you might want to be a little more punctual." The teacher, a lady around the age of 25, points toward the class. It was a signal for me to take my seat so I rushed in and slid in an empty chair next to a guy.

"Greetings, senior year. My name is Miss Lind and I'm your Algebra teacher this year. Let's get started right away, shall we?" The lesson was almost the same as my previous one. Miss Lind would go on and on without stopping but she had a tempo that was easy to conduct with. She gave us some problems to solve, and I being 'absent' from school for sometimes didn't know a thing about Algebra.

"Mr. Herondale, why aren't you doing your work? Or is it just too easy for you?" Come Miss Lind's voice from my side. She was peering at my empty paper. I shook my head to her.

"The questions are a little bit different from my old school." To my surprise, nobody snickered or laughed. The rest of the class were busy solving the questions.

"Alright then, Mr. Lightwood, if you may." She motioned to the boy sitting next my table. He got up and moved to the whiteboard and wrote down his answers. When he was done, he walked back to his seat. He was pale for a boy considering his hair stood pitch black and his eyes were sparkles of blue. I can't help but stare. He looks familiar to me.

"As always, all correct. Mr. Herondale, you might want to ask for help from Mr. Lightwood. He'd be able to tutor you." Miss Lind glared at me and I nodded. I guess he might be one of the top students in this school. A moment later, the bell rung and I jumped out of my seat, forgetting about the clever boy by my side and head straight to the cafeteria, eager to meet the girl with the green eyes.

Part III: Meeting Great People

The bell rang notifying the entire school of lunch break. Students rushed towards the cafeteria to meet up with their friends while the teachers head to the pantry to have their break time. In a matter of seconds, the cafeteria was filled up by students from different grades. Some were lining up for their foods while a number of them already took their tables and sat, waiting for their friends. Each table in the big white space that could be described as a hall already holds its occupants except for the one right at the centre.

Simon walked in and spotted Clary with Izzy waiting in the line near the counter. He was about to take a seat when he heard Jace calling him. He gestured for Jace to follow him and they both settled down in the middle of the cafeteria, the only empty space left. It was after all their table. Izzy and Clary joined them, each girl with a tray in their hands and sat opposite the boys.

"You guys aren't eating?" Clary asked sweetly. Jace shook his head. He was giving Clary a look that made the girl blushed a little.

"I'm still full from my mom's breakfast." Simon answered instead. He was also staring at Izzy when both girls were busy indulging their food.

"If only my mom would cook." Izzy sighed. Clary gave her a meaningful sideway glanced and glared at Simon. The boy, not knowing what he did wrong just shrugged his shoulder defensively. Jace didn't understand what was going on so he didn't want to pry. They didn't notice that a pair of soul was approaching their table. All eyes were on them when the two walked in through the cafeteria's door.

The guy was tall, lean but he had slightly toned muscles hidden underneath his uniform. His hair was made meticulously, almost touching his chiselled jaw. He had a tanned skin colour which praises his Asian look that made girls staring at him. The girl on his side was no exception. She was a true beauty of her own. Her long blonde hair covered the collar of her uniform. Her pale yet glimmering skin compliments her hair colour. Her high cheekbones, full lips and glittering eyes in jade made the boys stared and the girls envied her features. Her body had the perfect edges to it and somehow, she made the school uniform looked intimidating. Both of them were sync in step as they came and sat beside Clary.

"Hi Magnus. Hello Camille." Clary was always known for her sweet attitude with her friends. Camille gave her a smile that showed her dimple just a little bit.

"Who's this?" The blonde girl asked. Camille was looking at Jace with a seductive look but he didn't give the girl a second glance.

"Oh, if I'm not mistaken you were in my French class. Jace, wasn't it?" Magnus responded.

"And you're Magnus." Jace confirmed.

"He's my neighbour." Simon intercepted. He was about to say something else when Magnus asked,

"Where's Alexander?" He looked around frantically, searching for his mate. No Blue Eyes that could be detected anywhere, at least not Alec's.

"I think he went to see Mr. Phillip about the upcoming fencing competition." Clary answered for everyone else. There was a flicker of something in her eyes when she spoke, Jace couldn't catch what it was.

"By the Angel, it's only the first day and he's already back into his game?" Izzy exclaimed. She was sipping her orange juice when Magnus said,

"Izzy honey, fencing is martial arts, not a game. You should know that since it's your brother's talent." Izzy pouted. Jace somehow look confused.

"I'm sorry but who's Alexander?" He sent a quizzical look at Simon but Izzy answered for him instead.

"He's my brother. He's in senior year too and he's the school prodigy in fencing. Have you met him in any of your classes?" Izzy replied with proud in her tone. Jace shook his head.

"I hadn't met anyone named Alexander, yet."

"It's Alec. He prefers that because only his…." Clary trailed off. She lowered her head but only after she looked at Izzy. The other girl somehow just smiled affectionately at her best friend. She was grateful that someone knew the other side of her and her brother and didn't back away from them. Someone named Clary and Magnus. The atmosphere became a little awkward for Jace so he tried to change the subject.

"I got reprimanded in my Algebra class because I couldn't solve the questions. The teacher told me to ask for help from this freak dude whose brain works like a computer. I guess he's a genius. He got all the questions correct." Jace said with a little hint of sarcasm in his voice. He's holding back quite a lot of himself because he's not used to the 'well-mannered' attitude which was too opposite of his usual demeanour.

"Oooo…I see someone's feeling wronged. What was this freak dude's name?" Izzy teased and managed to lighten the ambience.

"I don't really remember. The teacher said it was Light-" Jace didn't get to finished his sentence when suddenly Magnus speak aloud. His head was turned towards a direction.

"Finally, I thought I won't be seeing you until school end." Jace looked at whom Magnus was speaking to. He gaped for quite a moment at the figure walking towards them. The others noticed Jace's reaction but they didn't say anything.

"Sorry. I went to see-"he was cut off by Simon.

"Mr. Phillip, we know. Clary told us." The dark-haired boy smiled warmly at Clary and sat next to Simon, directly facing Clary. She returned his smile widely. That small action somehow made Jace felt uneasy.

"So Jace, who was that freak dude you were talking about?" Camille brought back the topic. Everyone turned to him and he lost his words.

"Let me guess; he's here now isn't he?" Magnus asked knowingly. He had a grin on his handsome face.

"Wait, you were talking about me?" Alec who hadn't said a word chimed in. He looked at Jace and he realized it was the new boy in his class. Jace didn't know what to say or do.

"This is Jace. He's my neighbour and he's a new student here. Jace, this is the freak dude you were saying about, Alec and his Izzy's brother." Simon introduced those two who seemed oblivious to the situation. The others were already trying to hold back their laughs at Simon's blunt words.

"Hey." Jace gave Alec a small smile. The other boy returned it with a nod. Alec looked a little put off by the new boy's appearance. Jace noted it and decided to stay out of the black-haired way. The lunch time was spent normally as it usually did. However, instead of staring crazily at Izzy, Simon was having a conversation with Jace.

The same goes to the rest of them; Magnus was whispering something to Camille, Izzy was trying to finish her lunch with Clary, and Alec with his own mind. Jace and Alec didn't exchange any words other than the greetings but Jace couldn't help but stole a glance or two at Izzy's brother. He thought it was the resemblance between the siblings that made Alec look familiar. But it wasn't. He'd seen Alec outside of the school before, long time ago but he couldn't recall where or when.

**So what did you think? Please let me know. My sincerest apology for any grammar mistakes or for the school system in New York. I'm Asian so my writing style may be a bit different. Even the school is an elite one. I just had to so that the rules can suit my knowledge or whatever that means. Hehe. Do review for quicker updates! :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey. Here is** **chapter 2 but before you start reading, there are a few things that I would like to make clear.**

**-Alec is not gay. At least not yet. XD**

**-The characters are in an elite school which exists under my rules and follows my orders.**

**-There will be all the pairings in TMI (exclude malec, for now) which are clace, sizzy and a side pairing of Camille and Magnus. Those two are extras for my friend who just adore them. **

**-This story is basically about friendships. I don't really like romance and I'm not really good at writing them.**

**-And lastly, any further regulations and laws are made based on where I come from so it might not fit with American's laws. Forgive me for that.**

**-Oh, and nevertheless, thank you to manibarilo for reviewing. I hope you enjoy reading! :)**

Chapter 2

Part I: The Journey Begins

_A week later…_

Jace entered the training room and stood near the door. He'd stayed after school upon his PE teacher's request to come and watch the fencing club's trained. Apparently, Mr. Colt thought that Jace's build was suitable for the sport and had instructed him to try out for the club member. So there he was, with a little scowl on his face watching as two students sparred.

"Jace. Jace! Come here." It was Simon. He was sitting on a long bench by the side of the room. Jace looked over at his PE teacher and saw him nodded, signalling him to take a seat.

"Si, what are you doing here? You never told me you were in fencing." Jace said as he sat down next to his buddy.

"No, I'm not. I actually heard from Mr. Colt that you were going to join the fencing team and asked me to stay and convince you. Not that you need it since you brought yourself here." Jace was about to say something when he saw the two students who were sparring moved away from the mat. Then, another student got up and stood facing a man who Jace guessed was the fencing coach.

Both of them had their fencing outfits on and in their hand held a weapon. They took their stances and stood static on the ground. Neither moved and from the distance it was hard to tell whether they were breathing or not. It was like time had frozen when suddenly one of the two moved and attacked the other. Jace couldn't tell whether it was the student or the teacher who had made the first moved because of the mask but he bet it was the latter. The weapon touched the opponent's upper body and the fencers resumed to their original position.

This time, they took their stances again and Jace could finally see when one of them started to charge towards the other. And again, it hit. He was fascinated, only a little with the sport but it was the fencer who'd managed to catch his interest. He'd never seen anyone moved that way before, full of grace yet with the intensity to raid.

"Nicely done, boy. I am pleased to know that the holidays hadn't rotten your talent away." The teacher took off his mask and his face was a riddle you can't solve. It was as if a mask itself and Jace felt a chill running down his spine. He was complementing but his eyes held no joy, it was solemn yet dark and cold. Jace wondered how the student didn't flinch from the look the older man gave.

"Thank you, sir." The younger one replied. Jace couldn't wait to see who it was beneath the mask for he felt a rush, excitement in his body. He felt the other boy as a challenge but also an admiration at the same time.

"Herondale, come here would you." Mr. Colt motioned him and he got up quickly from the bench and walked across the room. He stood in front his teacher and he saw the older man gesturing towards the fencer, still with his mask on to come over. The guy was taller than him.

"Jace, I'd like you to meet Alec." And at that moment, the fencer took off his mask and revealed the face that had been messing with Jace's memories. Alec brushed off his hair to the side so that he could see clearly. He wasn't surprise nor was he happy to see the blonde standing in front of him.

"He's the president for our school fencing club and the best fencer in our school. Alec, this is Jace. I'd like you to give him a little catch up on the basics and see how far he'd go. I know he's a senior but I would like to see him in action. If you don't mind, that's it." Mr. Colt patted Jace on the shoulder and he gave Alec a hopeful stare. The black-haired didn't take his eyes off from the other boy for a while until he spoke,

"I'll do what I can and see how much he'll improve. Only if he puts aside everything else and focus." Alec's tone held no warmth. Jace wonder if that's what happened when you were taught by someone like the coach. He had yet to know the man's name, not that he was interested to.

"You hear that, Herondale? I want you to show me what you've got." Mr. Colt gave Jace another pat on his back and smiled. Jace gave a little nod, trying to avoid Alec's eyes. Mr. Colt then left the two standing awkwardly at the side.

"So, when do I start?"

"Not today. I'll give you my schedule and we'll start then. You don't take any extra classes do you?" Alec asked.

"Not for now I guess." Jace shrugged.

"Okay then. We'll start next week. Monday after school, here exactly at 4. Is that okay?" Jace nodded. Alec headed back to his coach while Jace went to Simon and they both went home.

* * *

><p>Jace was lying on his stomach on Simon's bed. He was looking at his phone when Simon got out from the bathroom.<p>

"Si, what do you think of Izzy's brother?" Jace suddenly asked and the brown-haired was taken by surprise at the mention of his secret crush's name. He'd started to like Izzy when he was 14 but he'd never had the courage to ask the girl out.

"You mean Alec? He's nice. Why?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at Jace.

"I don't know. I think he hates me." Jace answered. He got up from his position and face Simon who was now sitting at the end of the bed.

"What makes you think he hates you?" Simon asked again.

"I'm not sure but he's just so… distant. I mean, he's not cold but neither is he warm."

"What are you, a thermometer? Seriously Jace, you barely know the guy and you're already judging him." Simon shrugged his shoulder. He then got up and sat at his table. He opened his book and got a pen. He was going to do his homework when he glanced at Jace. His best friend had a scowl on his face.

"What? You really want to know? Okay, fine. Alec is a mystery. He's like a puzzle and if you want to get close to him, you'll have to put the pieces together. But I'd advise you to stay away from his business and just be friends. Yeah, that sounds fine." Jace's face changed to confusion.

"Why? Is he mental or something?" Simon snorted.

"Jace, just because he can do Algebra doesn't indicates that he's mental. I'm just saying that everyone has a secret and Alec… he had a history with his family. A bad one but we don't usually talk about it." He stopped for a moment. "All I know is that he's living with Magnus and Izzy is still staying with their parents."

"I got it. It's fine but I am so going to suffer because of fencing. Damn Mr. Colt. What is it about fencing anyway? There's like tons of other sports to be played and he had to choose that one." Jace missed the look on Simon's face.

"You really have no idea how important fencing is to the school, do you? Ours has a reputation and majority of it thanks to Alec. He's a prodigy." Simon reiterated Izzy's word on her brother's talent.

"Urggh. Whatever." At that, Simon dismissed his friend but not for long as Jace spoke again.

"By the angel, Si. Can you help me with something?" Jace gave Simon a puppy eye look.

"What is it?" Simon eyed Jace suspiciously.

"Would you do me the honour to teach me Algebra?" Jace blinked excessively which made Simon cringe visibly.

"Since when was I mental?" Simon shot back. He'd turned to face his book when a pillow come flying, hitting him at the back of his head.

* * *

><p>"How was your training? Did it go well?" Magnus was looking at Alec. His legs were resting on the coffee table in front him. The TV was on but neither of the black-haired was watching it. Alec was sitting at the end of the couch, with the same position as his best friend but his head was down with his hand supporting it. He looked like he was deep in thought.<p>

"Yeah, it did. But there was this guy…what was his name? Jace something. Mr. Colt told me to train him so that he can be on the team." Alec sounded tired. He looked worn out to Magnus.

"You mean Blondie? The new guy? What's wrong with him?" Magnus asked Alec while his hand fumbled with the remote to turn the TV off.

"Nothing's wrong with him. I just don't like him." Alec said. His head was still down and his hair was covering his eyes from Magnus.

"Alexander dear, you don't dislike a person just because you want to." He saw how Alec flinched a little when Magnus used his full name but the other guy didn't say anything about it. Alec had tried and asked Magnus to just use his nickname for the first couple of weeks when he started to live with him but the taller one wouldn't listen. After hearing it for a few more times, Alec had stopped to persuade Magnus but he still felt scarred when he was called that way.

"Aren't you going to change your clothes?" Magnus said while staring at Alec's form. He was still in his school uniform.

"Nahh…I think I'm going to take a nap." And so he did. He was fast asleep after a few seconds and Magnus let him be. He got up and took a blanket to drape it on his best friend. Alec looked very peaceful when he's asleep, Magnus thought. He's far away from all the guilt and blames.

"I just hope you'd be able to forgive yourself, Alec."

Magnus whispered.

Part II: Attaching These Strings

IZZY POV

We were sitting at the dining table for breakfast. Mother for once decided to act like a normal family and she had prepared what she thought was my favourite, pancakes. Dad on the other hand wasn't even trying, he was in his regular routine; sat at the end of the table, his face was covered by the newspaper and he had a cup of steaming tea in front of him.

We'd never been 'normal' since the 'accident' two years ago. It was hard for all of us but the one that had taken it hardest was the one who'd left home. Alec wasn't the same, that's for sure. I grieved, we all did. Alec suffered; he blamed himself for what happened. I did too at first but after seeing my brother in a state I wouldn't want to see in a human being, I forgave him.

I was finishing my orange juice when my phone beeped. I flipped it open and read a text from Clary.

"Who is it? Is it your brother?" Mother asked me. Why would she care? She didn't even stop him or persuade him to come home. I saw my father tensed for a second before he folded the newspaper and took a sip of his tea. Well done dad, you've managed yet again to pretend like your eldest and only son didn't even exist. I'd really like to leave this house like Alec had done but I couldn't. Alec made me promise and I wouldn't disappoint him.

"It's Clary. She's out front. I'll get going then. Bye." I got up from my chair, brushed my uniform and picked up my bag. Neither of them said a word. I quickly got out from what I used to call home sweet home and got into Clary's car. I sat at the back while Clary was in the seat next to the driver's that was occupied by her mother, Jocelyn.

"Good morning Izzy. Is that pancakes I smell?" Jocelyn asked and pressed the pedal. I gave a little smile so not to offend Jocelyn. She and Clary had been treating me very well like a family. They had been a second shoulder for me to cry on. First was Alec's.

"So, Izzy, do you mind sharing with me about a certain someone who's blonde and hot at school?" Jocelyn asked again. I was confused for a moment when I looked at Clary. She had a blush on her cheek, faintly but I could still see it.

"Mom!" She squeaked. Jocelyn's smile was getting wider when I finally realized who she was talking about.

"Oh, Jace Herondale? Simon's neighbour." My heart did a little somersault when I said Simon's name. Clary had her face covered with her hands which showed that my answer was correct.

"Oh my god, you like him?" My best friend couldn't even look me in the eye or even her mom's. She kept her head facing the window and she was suddenly interested with the weather.

"The sky is rather clear today, isn't it?" Clary asked eagerly. She's really bad at hiding her emotions, or maybe it was just because I'm her best friend. Jocelyn turned and drove in to the school compound. I looked for Magnus's car but it wasn't at its usual parking space. Clary and I got out and I could still see the blush on her cheeks. I was taking my first step when Jocelyn called my name from inside the car.

"Did I forget something?" I said to her. She looked at me in the eye and I saw something behind those orbs. Clary really did resemble her mother. They look almost alike except for Clary's small size.

"No, you didn't. I just want to say that you know you could always come to me or Clary for anything, right? We'll always be there for you Izzy. Stay strong, okay?" She reached out and stroked my ebony long hair caringly. I gave her a loving smile and nodded.

* * *

><p><em>Some times between the classes…<em>

Magnus was standing in front of his locker; his hands were busy smoothening down his uniform and fixing his hair. He'd just finished his PE lesson and to be honest, Magnus had never really enjoyed the class. He likes to work out but he's not into games like dodge ball that could easily ruin his image.

"Magnus!" He turned to the source of the voice and saw Camille walking down the hall towards him. He gave a big smile at his girlfriend and winked. Camille rolled her eyes and smirked.

"You look great, okay. PE is not the end of the world yet." She joked.

"How would you know? Have you ever played dodge ball where you're the tallest guy in the room and yet your hair is the main target? I bet doomsday is near." Magnus sighed dramatically. Camille can't help but laughed.

"Seriously, Mag. Your hair is fine and you are wonderful." Wait, what? Camille looked a little taken aback with what she'd just said while Magnus was surprised. It didn't take long though for Camille to regain her composure and act like she'd said something normal. But it wasn't. Camille rarely voiced her thoughts out loud. The only way Magnus could feel her affection for him is through the intimate gestures they share when only in the company of each other. But that wasn't normal. Camille knew something was odd the moment she said the word wonderful. She had felt an unconscious desire to look at Magnus and stay with him but she quickly pushed it away.

"Well then, we best get going to our class. See you later, Mag." Camille tiptoed and gave him a kiss. She waved and paced quickly out of Magnus's view. He was a little confused with Camille's attitude. Did Camille just confess? Magnus didn't know what to think. Their relationship wasn't based on love or admiration towards the other. It was expected of the head cheerleader to date with the hottest guy in school who held magnificent parties. In short, it's accustomed. Magnus had never questioned their status as a couple because he knew it was just a play for Camille and he didn't mind. Camille had dated many guys before and he's used to flirt with girls.

Magnus shut his locker door closed and walked to his class. He was chanting something continuously in his head until he reached his seat. The little voice kept repeating,

_Camille Belcourt never fell in love. And so should you._

* * *

><p>Alec was sitting alone in the library. He was the sole occupant of the huge, long wooden table that could fit 15 people in a row. Books were piled in front of that smart boy who had his eyes trained on the papers. His hand was dancing with the pen, a grace that could only be seen when he's either writing or fencing. Another figure entered the colossal library; as it detained massive collections of books and documents in that one substantial room among other spaces in the school.<p>

Simon noticed Alec's attentiveness on his writing so he decided not to bother the other guy. He walked to the counter and motioned to the librarian, Madam Theresa that he was returning some books. He kept glancing to Alec though. He was fighting the urge to go and confront the older boy or just keep his intention to himself. His determination won the fight. He didn't realize his feet were dragging him towards the person hidden behind the books until he reached the table.

Alec looked up and saw it was his sister's secret crush. Izzy never failed to mention Simon's name when they were on the phone, talking and informing each other on their conditions.

"Mind if I sit with you?" Simon spoke softly. Alec gave a slight nod and moved the books to his side so he could see the kinky boy better. He had an uncertain look on his face, Alec noted. Simon was fidgeting a little and Alec couldn't help but gave a small smile at the younger boy. He knew what was going to come out from Simon's mouth and he let the nerd in glasses to take his time.

"You're having a free period, right?" Simon asked suddenly. The boy's nerves really get to him.

"Of course I am. Have you ever see me skipped classes before?" They were both exchanging words in whispers, in hopes that Madam Theresa doesn't catch them. Alec pretended to keep his eyes busy on the books while he waited for Simon's next word. He glanced once or twice and saw that Simon was biting his bottom lip. Knowing that the conversation won't make any progress any time soon, Alec decided to pipe up.

"What do you want with Izzy?" Simon who had his head down jerked up at Alec's question and gaped. Alec still had his eyes trained on the books and his hand was scribbling down notes but he knew Simon was surprised. The other boy looked around frantically; trying to find someone who might have heard or worse, Izzy walking into the library. He relaxed slightly when he remembered that Alec's sister was in class. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"I would like to go out with your sister." Simon blurted out. He was shocked when he heard himself said it, strong and determined. Alec stopped writing and put down his pen. He locked eyes with a pair of brown ones and waited for a moment before he answered,

"Okay."

"What? Just okay? You mean you don't mind if I date your sister?" Simon asked. He was expecting some interrogations from Alec, not a nonchalant answer. The taller one shook his head.

"So I guess I'm allowed to see her then?" Boy, how clueless can Simon get. Alec was starting to pity the boy but he kept his act to see how intent on Simon was.

"That depends. I'm not the one who's giving the permission, Izzy is. If you want to date her you should ask her." Alec could see an oasis of serenity returning to Simon's figure. He was starting to clear his stuff and gather the books when Simon opened his mouth again.

"Alec, can I ask you something? Are you going to seriously train Jace for fencing?" There was a heavy silent between them. Alec had stopped what he was doing. He got up and pushed the chair in. His things were in his hands.

"That hinge on Jace whether he's going to take it seriously or not. You know fencing isn't something I take lightly." With that, Alec walked out from the library. Simon sighed heavily and departed from the books' paradise as well. It had taken at least nine months for Simon and Alec to get close and not speak awkwardly with each other, but not as close as Alec and Magnus. That was beyond his capability since he only started to know the siblings after the 'accident' and he knew what people meant when they said that a tragedy could bring a happy family into a wretched and broken pieces.

Clary had been the one who introduced Izzy to Simon when they were in the Science Lab and Simon had never took his eyes of the pitch-dark haired girl. It wasn't hard to break the walls of Isabelle Lightwood but Simon could still see the scars beyond the strong girl. He'd never tried to get details from Clary about the 'accident' but he knew that a family member was dead. A younger brother had left them and they said it was the eldest of the siblings' mistake.

Simon walked to his class and listened attentively to the teacher in front. In his mind was a question,

_How am I supposed to ask Izzy out?_

**Please let me know what you think. :)**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm truly sorry for the delay but I just got back from travelling and I needed to fix a few things here and there before I update the story. So here it is, chapter 3. I hope you enjoy and have a nice day! :)**

Chapter 3

Part I: The Bonds Grew Stronger

Jace pushed the training room's door opened and he saw that it was empty. Alec wasn't there yet. He sat down on a bench and shrugged his blazer off.

'Elite school, always have to look classy.' Jace thought. It had been a month since Jace got into Institute High and that day was his fifth training session with Alec. So far, he'd learnt most of the basics and he'd even managed to get a perfect standing posture, which according to Alec is hard to achieve. The blue eyes had said it to him on their last meeting. Both of them had managed at least to cease the awkwardness that occurs sometimes and Jace couldn't help but longed for a smooth and simple conversation with Alec. He'd managed to get Alec to answer some of his questions which was direct and short. The answers that came were also as mentioned.

He hummed a tone so as to break the silence in the training room. The sound echoed through-out the space but was cut off when the door creaked as a sign of being pushed opened. Alec had his hand on the knob and he was partially inside the training room. He was talking to someone. Jace heard another voice and he peeked to see Clary standing in front of Alec. They were engulfed in their conversation that they didn't notice Jace's presence.

"You should have seen Simon's face when he asked Izzy. Oh god, that was the most hilarious moment in my life." Clary's laughter rang in Jace's ear. He saw that the small girl had a wide grin on her face and the taller boy in front her couldn't help but gave a small laugh.

"I bet Izzy will have a lot to tell me tonight." He chuckled. Clary looked different. She seemed to be very happy, genuinely when she looked at the guy facing her. Jace felt a spark of jealousy in him but he knew that it was impossible for him to ask Clary out. He guessed that there was something going on between those two and he didn't want to get on Alec's bad side. They could just stay as friends, hopefully.

"I guess you better get going then. Jace is already here and I don't want to keep him waiting." Alec nudged his head towards Jace's direction and the blonde waved back. Clary was caught surprised when she noticed Jace and couldn't supressed a faint of blush on her cheeks.

"Okay, see you Alec. Bye Jace. Don't hurt yourself boys." She said as she stormed out of the boys' view. Alec shut the door closed and took off his blazer and tie. He hung them limply on the bench next to Jace's. The golden boy was already standing at the centre of the room, a norm for Jace since the beginning of their training.

"What are we up for today?" Jace tried to bring up a light conversation. He kept his intonation casual when he spoke to Alec. He watched as Alec unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them as he walked over to Jace. Alec was paler than usual, Jace noticed and he looked slightly thinner. Slightly but it was enough for Jace to ask,

"Alec, are you okay?" His question had not only surprised the other boy but also himself. Alec took a moment before he answered,

"I'm fine. Let's get started, shall we?" He walked over to the equipment area and took out two identical long weapons. He threw one to Jace who caught it expertly in his hand. Indeed, he'd held the same weapon quite a number of times. They both took their stances at the opposite end of the mat and Alec gestured for Jace to counter.

Their practice ends after 2 hours of hard work, sweats and muscle aches. The boys were lying on the mat, parallel to each other. Jace was breathing hard, his shirt unbuttoned while Alec had his forearm resting on his forehead, his breathing slowly going regular.

"You know, if you really like her you should just ask her out." Alec broke the tranquillity that had settled between them.

"Who?"

"Clary." Jace propped up on one of his elbow and looked at Alec. The other boy had his eyes closed.

"Aren't you two seeing each other?" Jace asked. Alec looked at Jace as if he'd said something ridiculous.

"What? No. She's my sister's best friend and I treat her like my own sister. It would be awkward if I go out with her."

"Oh, okay. Wait, how do you know I like her?" Jace suddenly realized what he'd just said.

"You didn't even deny it when I said it and you obviously aren't declining my suggestion." Alec answered indifferently. Jace didn't say a word after that and Alec held his peace.

"Do you think she'll want to go out with me? I mean I don't even know if she likes me." Jace sounded flustered, Alec could tell. He'd always been able to decipher someone's inflection to their feelings.

"You'll have to take your bet then. Jeez, you and Simon really are no different. Are you sure you two aren't related or something? How long have you known him again?" Alec's question caught Jace off guard. He knew he would have to be honest with his friends if he wants to stay close. But now wasn't the time yet.

"Quite long. I guess that's it for today. I'll see you tomorrow?" He got up and picked up his blazer. He smoothed down his wrinkled shirt before dangling his blazer on his shoulder.

"Yeah, see you. Oh, and Jace, you're doing very well." Alec complimented.

"Thanks. I learned from the best." Was what the blonde said before exiting the training room.

"You're doing too well, Jace." Alec muttered under his breath even when there's no one else in the room. He got up as well and retrieved his things from the bench and walked out the room. He gave the one-way mirror installed on the wall at the end of the room a glance before shutting the door closed.

A man stood on the other side of the room. He had been watching the two boys trained through the mirror. He was putting on a stoic expression like he always did. His mind was playing back the talk he had with Alec.

_"Jace is improving. I can see that. You've put a lot effort into training him on your own."_

_"Thank you, sir. I've tried my best in guiding him the way you did for me."_

_"However, I'm afraid that I still can't put him on the team."_

_"But why sir? I thought you said he was improving. He passed the beginners level and he could even compete for-"_

_"Hold your tongue, boy. Are you even listening to yourself? To be the school's representative takes a lot more than that. You yourself have experienced that."_

_"Yes sir."_

_"Besides, I don't really trust him. He just moved in and I couldn't found any records of his old school. It seemed that our new acquaintance has a lot of secrets behind him. But that's not I want you to worry about. Would you do something for me boy?"_

_"What is it?"_

_"Here. It's the usual but I want you to double the dosage. Take it daily. I can see you are starting to wear off faster. Maybe in two months-times I might consider Jace again so you can concentrate on the upcoming competition. This is your last year Alec and I don't want any disappointment."_

_"I understand sir."_

* * *

><p>Alec closed the bottle as he popped up two pills into his mouth. He swallowed them and stared into the mirror. He was in the bathroom while Magnus was in the kitchen, making dinner for them. He inhaled heavily and noticed the dark circles under his eyes.<p>

'I really need to stop studying late at night.' He thought to himself. He got out from the bathroom and went to check his phone when it lighted up and showed the ID caller.

"Hey Izzy. What's up?" He held his phone to his ear and walked into the kitchen where Magnus had finished setting down their dinner.

"Who is it?" He mouthed to Alec. The dark-haired laid his phone on the dining table and pressed the loudspeaker button.

"Izzy, you're on loudspeaker. Magnus can absolutely hear you." Alec warned his sister in case she humiliated herself.

"Oh. Hey Magnus. Have you heard?" Izzy's cheerful voice sounded through the phone.

"Heard what, dear?" Magnus asked.

"Simon asked me out!" Izzy gave a loud squeal which Magnus thought was funny while Alec seemed to be annoyed. That guy had to wait for a month to ask his sister out. What a true man.

"Really? Oh, that's great! I'm happy for you, Isabelle." Magnus sounded sincere. He looked over at his blue eyed friend and saw him stifling a yawn. Alec must've not wanted Izzy to know that he's tired so Magnus decided it was point to end the conversation.

"Hey Izzy, why don't we talk tomorrow and you can share me all the details? I'm really tired and your brother has promised me that he would be my pillow for the night so I need him off the phone. Do you mind?" Magnus waited for the answer and he saw Alec quirked an eyebrow. Izzy's brother hadn't said a word to her. It was Magnus who'd brought the conversation to life so he thought that the other guy wouldn't mind.

"I won't be at school tomorrow. We have cheer practice for the football competition. Didn't Camille tell you?" The girls, Izzy, Clary and Camille were all in the cheer team. They usually go to a private gym for their practice which is just near the school.

"No, she didn't. Must've slipped her mind. Maybe next time, then?" Magnus tried to fake a yawn and Alec caught him but he didn't say anything.

"Okay. Cuddle him for me will you, Magnus? Good night. I love you, Alec." Izzy hung up. Alec reached for his phone and kept it in his pants' pocket.

"What was that for?" Both of the boys were spooning the pasta that Magnus had marvellously cooked. Magnus took a sip of water before he answered Alec.

"You look like you need extra rest tonight and I thought that Izzy wouldn't mind if you skipped a night conversation with her." Alec was swirling his pasta with his fork. He looked distracted.

"Hey. You okay over there?" Magnus regarded the unfocused gaze Alec gave him. His blue eyes still shunned brightly but they lacked in spirit.

"It's fine if you can't finish it. You can go to bed first. I still have essay and reports to finish." Magnus proposed him.

"No, no. I'm alright. It's just the extra training with Jace took a lot from me." Alec had his practice with Jace separately from his fencing team upon his couch's order. So basically, he was doing twice the amount of practice than he usually did.

"How is he doing? I see you two are getting along."

"He's doing well. He's a nice guy." Alec pushed his plate away and finished his drink.

"You said differently a month ago about Jace." Magnus grinned. He knew Alec could never hate someone even if that person had done bad things to him. All he needed was time to get along with Jace.

"I was wrong. I guess there's nothing wrong with him. I'm going to bed now. See you in the morning, Magnus." He walked over to the sink and put his glass down before walking towards his room.

"Wait. I thought you're supposed to be my pillow tonight?" Magnus faked a pout and Alec couldn't help but smirked.

"Good night, Maggie." Magnus growled at the nickname. He never and will ever like it. Alec knew and he's doing it on purpose to tease Magnus.

"Night, Blue Eyes."

* * *

><p>"Hey, mom. How are you feeling?" Jace popped his head inside his mother's room and looked at her. She was on her bed, a book in her hands and she was wearing her glasses. Cecily Herondale looked up at her only son and smiled.<p>

"I'm feeling fine. I thought I heard Simon's voice?" She put down the book but she didn't show that she was getting up.

"Hi Mrs. Herondale." Simon's head was now popping at the door as well. He gave a big warm smile to the old lady.

"Are you boys studying together?" Cecily peered at her son and his friend.

"Yes. We're going down to the kitchen for a while to grab some food. You need something mom?" Jace inquired his mother.

"No, dear. Thank you. Enjoy yourself boys but not too much." Jace closed the door and walked down the stairs to the kitchen with Simon trailing behind him. They both sat at the table after Jace had poured a drink for both of them.

"Your mother is doing fine, right? No more attacks?" Simon asked while taking a swig of his drink. He must be very thirsty.

"Nope. She's been taking her meds regularly as prescribed, thanks to your mother. She'd been pestering mom with all the precautions and Cecily said she had to raise the white flag for your mom to stop." Simon's mother, Elaine Lewis had been a good friend of Cecily since they moved in. She had been very upset when Cecily's asthma attacked and she wasn't there the last time it happened. So now, Elaine was trying her best to take care of Cecily. Both of the women had lost their husbands and it seemed that the relations had connected those two closer.

"We won't want you to go through the same thing again, right?" Simon's tone was low. Jace looked him in the eyes and understood what Simon meant.

"Si, should I tell them about what happened? About me being a juvenile?" Simon sighed and looked at his best buddy.

"You mean people at school? They ought to know about your past if you care for them and they do care for you, that for sure. Alec is even opening up to you quicker than I've tried. It's up to you, Jace. Do what you think is best." The brown-haired took another gulp of his drink.

"I'm scared of what they'll think of me." Jace mumbled.

"Jace, do you really think of them that way? Trust me; those guys won't back you out just because you've had a bad history. Everyone has their past and secrets."

"You're right. When the time comes, I'll be ready for it."

"And I'll be there for you, Jace." The two sat in the kitchen as they relished in the solitude of silence.

Time was their enemy and they didn't even realize what was coming to them.

Part II: As We Draw The Lines

Izzy was in her room plopped on her bed. She was facing the ceiling and her mind was playing back the conversation she had with Simon yesterday. It was their third date after seeing each other for two weeks. They were moving at a fast pace, everyone can see that but to both of them it was just right. The feelings were mutual so no doubt and hesitation could get in between, at least not yet.

_They were both sitting in one of the empty booth in Taki's, facing each other, sipping their drinks and eating some fries until Izzy asked,_

_ "Does Jace have a girlfriend?" This had caused Simon to choke on his drink. He cleared his throat before answering,_

_ "Not that I know. Why?" Izzy caught the look in Simon's eyes._

_ "Don't be silly, Simon. I was asking for Clary." In that instant, relieve filled Simon's hardened expression. He is just cute, Izzy mused._

_ "Well, one thing I know it's not one-sided. Jace couldn't stop talking about her aside from your brother." This time, Simon had caught Izzy's attention._

_ "What's wrong with Alec?" Curiosity and anxiety was visible through Izzy's features._

_ "Oh, nothing is wrong. Jace just talks about fencing and stuff." Izzy sighed. _

_ "What is it?" Simon inquired. The girl looked at him._

_ "It's nothing." She smiled but not her normal sweet smile._

_ "Are you sure?" Simon realized that he'd barely knew the girl in front him and for her to share about something personal was way too early. He could only nod when Izzy looked away and swirled her drink, not even once registering that she didn't answer his last question. _

She smiled to herself. Simon is a great guy. She hadn't meant to push him away like that but the time will come when she'll finally let him in. And now is not the right time, she thought.

* * *

><p>"The usual, Mike." Jace waited as the pharmacist took his regular prescriptions. It was his mother's and before he got out from Bones Boys Home, Elaine used to do it for her. He looked around the store and his eyes stopped. He spun too quickly that he hit his elbow on the counter. Clary was just entering the pharmacy and her eyes had caught the blonde's.<p>

"Hi. What are you doing here?" The small girl walked towards Jace with a sweetest smile that Jace ever seen.

"Hey. Just getting some meds for my mom. What about you?" His answer earned a quirked eyebrow from the red-head.

"I was just passing by when I saw you. Is your mom sick?" She looked genuinely concerned which engender Jace's little feelings for her.

"Oh, no. She's fine. She has asthma." He tried not to look sympathetic but he knew he failed because Clary looked even more depressed.

"Hey, don't worry. It's not that bad. We've had worst." At that, Jace stopped. He didn't want to get on that matter so he diverted the topic.

"Where were you going then?" He asked.

"Oh, right. I was on my way home. I shall get going then. See you at school on Monday." Clary turned and was about to walk away when Jace halted her and held her arm.

"Wait. Clary, I-I would…like to…"He was stuttering. By the Angel, he was stuttering.

"What is it, Jace?" He took a deep breathe.

"I would like to hang out with you sometimes. You know, get closer and be friends." Clary smiled.

"We are friends, Jace." And with that she left but not before saying,

"And sure, I would love to hang out."

* * *

><p>Alec was alone in the apartment. Magnus had gone out with Camille and he was left to clean the house. Not that he minded if it wasn't for the headache he was having. The constant banging in his skull felt like it was going to split his cranium any moment soon. He sunk down on the couch rather ungracefully and let out a heavy sigh. The migraine he'd been having for the past few weeks was beginning to affect him.<p>

His home works which was still loaded remained untouched. Reports needed to be sent in the next day were still halfway done. Even during his fencing training with Jace he was unable to get a grip of himself. Jace even noticed that but he knew the blonde wouldn't say anything. Alec wondered what Simon told him. His mind drifted off after a while and he subconsciously fell asleep on the couch.

When Magnus got home, the first thing he saw was his couch being occupied by a certain dark-haired. Alec was still sleeping, his head resting on the armrest while his left forearm was on his forehead. He thought of letting Alec rest for a while more but he must have heard the door closed because when Magnus reached the kitchen, Alec was trailing behind him.

"Hey, sleeping beauty. Had a nice repose?" Magnus joked when he saw Alec stifling a yawn. He's been doing that a lot lately. It was only a couple of months since school started but Alec looked as if he'd been through a whole year of learning without resting. But Magnus knew the reason without having Alec to tell him. Those extra training with Jace was paying a lot for his Blue Eyes.

Alec on the other hand was trying very hard not to let Magnus knew of his condition. He didn't want his best friend to worry although if Magnus ever finds out, he'd be very pissed off. Alec would be too if Magnus ever hides anything from him. They'd been through hell together. He was brought out of his trance when Magnus came and stood directly facing him, his eyebrows quirked.

"What?" Alec asked him.

"I didn't say anything." Magnus answered him.

"Oh." Magnus saw something flickered in Alec's eyes and he held out his hands and rested it on the other boy's shoulders.

"Wait. Are you sick?" He said seriously. Alec knew not to lie because when Magnus had already pulled out that tone with him, it was pointless to argue.

"Just a bad headache, that's all." He ended it with another yawn.

"I'm just going to clear everything in the kitchen. Why don't you go lie down in your room and I'll check on you later." Magnus wasn't asking. That was an order and Alec was more than pleased to obey. The taller watched as the other dragged himself to his room. Magnus had asked Alec the reason why he had to have his training with Jace separately from his fencing team. And all he got was,

_"Coach's order. Jace is in the club but he's not on the team until proven worthy."_

He didn't want to argue although he does hope for Jace to improve quickly and show it to their coach so that his mate won't have to suffer any longer. He stopped his muse and began his work. He started with the dishes first and move along other things that needed to be cleaned in the kitchen. Once he was done, he moved to the living room which didn't need as much attention as the kitchen.

Magnus was trained by his aunt to do the chores since he was going to be living on his own. He had never really asked Alec to help him with the apartment, the latter sort of get on to work on his own. Magnus didn't protest though. He knew Alec needed a little bit of distraction and he was glad to provide them.

He headed straight to his friend's room once he was done. He didn't knock because he knew Alec was sleeping. He pushed the door open and peered inside. His guess was right. Alec was on the bed, sprawled widely as if the moment he got close to his bed, he practically face fall onto it.

Magnus entered cautiously and softly closed the door. He walked over to the curtain and pulled them closed. The lighting in the room immediately decreased but Magnus could still make out Alec's silhouette. He sauntered over to him and let out a yawn as he felt himself getting sleepy as well. Then, he slowly pushed Alec to the other side of the bed and laid himself next to his friend. Magnus lied on his side facing Alec. He reached out one of his hand and played with Alec's jet black hair. With that, he contently fell asleep, too tired to notice that his hand was still on the other's head.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey. I know it's late again and I'm really sorry but this chapter is longer. Please accept it as an apology. The story is going to escalate starting from this chapter. The plot will get much more complicated and more dramas will arise. Please tell me what you think and have fun reading. :)**

Chapter 4

Part I: Pieces Slowly Appearing

The next day at school, it was apparent to everybody that Homecoming was near and so were the games. But for an elite school such as Institute High, football wasn't really something as big compared to fencing. The school had been champion for many years and this time, it was a certain win.

At least it was until people started to notice the lack of spirit and energy in a certain black-haired and blue eyed prodigy. The first person that had indeed showed concern was the fencing coach. It seemed that the young boy was very important for the man to show a hint of regard to a human being and he finally chose to accept the fact. Alexander Lightwood needed a substitute. And on that portrayal of dismiss, Jace was tested and finally accepted on the team.

"I hope you do well." The president of the club said to the new member. Jace gave the pale boy a smile.

"You will have to do more than well. Mind me but I don't want any slacking off from even a substitute who happens to be a newly added member. Should you show any sign of rebel, I wouldn't have to say it; even if you are _Alexander's_ substitute." Was what the coach's warm greeting had been. The news travelled fast among the students which was normal for them. Nothing goes unknown to anybody in the school.

Meanwhile, the group decided to celebrate it by having Jace to spar with his own coach.

"Not in any universe will I ever spar with that old man," was his response. The others were somehow stunned with his reply but Magnus's laugh broke it.

"We mean Alec." It was visible that Jace hadn't thought about that.

"Ouch. You really underestimate me, don't you? After all I've done." Alec faked a pout and shook his head with a little too much force.

"Hey, hey. I never said that. When you say coach, I thought it was _the_ coach. If you mean Alec, I refer him as my trainer." Jace tried to cover his slip. His words somehow got an approval look from Alec himself.

"Apology accepted." He smiled.

"Well then. What are we waiting for?" Magnus clapped his hands so as to gain the attention of the spectators which was only Clary, Izzy and Simon. School had long ended and Jace's usual training session was supposedly that afternoon but since he no longer need to train separately, their last meeting was spent in that manner. Magnus joined them at the bench as the two fencers sort out their weapons and took their stances on the carpet in the middle of the room.

"Take it easy on me, eh trainer?" Jace joked as he stood in front of Alec. The taller guy coughed lightly before straightening himself up and trying not to let his composure fade; at least not in front of his friends. He smiled reassuringly back to Jace who had caught too many of Alec's oddly unhealthy symptoms during their training. Although he did smiled back but soon disappeared after Alec said,

"You're a member now. It's time to show you what fencing really is." The spar started.

After half an hour of graceful turning and gliding for Alec and thirty minutes of avoiding and jolting for Jace, it was pretty much obvious who had the upper hand.

"You'll get him next time blondie." Magnus patted him on the shoulder to encourage him as they walked out of the training room and to the parking space.

Jace was walking behind the group along with Alec. The latter was moving at a slower pace and Jace settled next to him, strolling in the same pace.

"I have to be honest; I really did underestimate you there. After all our sessions together I'd never thought that you still have some tricks up your sleeve." Jace said in his laid back tone.

Alec laughed a little which sounded more like a tired sigh to Jace. The blonde turned to his taller friend and asked,

"Is something wrong Alec?" He just smiled. He wondered to himself how someone like Jace that he'd only gotten to know for a few months was much more attentive to his other friends. He excluded Magnus since they were living under the same roof and it was just a matter of time for him to notice. But Jace was different. At that, Alec was grateful for the friendship that was started to bond between them.

"Nothing is wrong. I'm just tired." He replied truthfully. As they headed to their respective directions, Alec resolved to himself that he wouldn't push Jace away any longer. He knew that the other guy was sincere to being his friend and that there was nothing that Jace was hiding from him. Nothing.

Jace on the other hand was seeing through Alexander Lightwood's concrete wall for the very first time. He knew then it was the right time for him to share his past to them; those who had owned their place in Jace's new life. Although he must admit that a particular redheaded had secured a spot in his soft heart.

* * *

><p>Alec was quite. He'd been that way ever since they exited the school compound and Magnus didn't say a word to him. His hands were on the steering wheel and he was tapping his index finger, following the beat of the song on the radio. As they stopped on a red light, Magnus looked over at his friend. He was slumped in his seat and his eyes were closed.<p>

"I'm glad that Jace is finally on the team." Magnus said as he pressed the pedal and continued driving. "It means that you can concentrate on yourself now."

Alec opened his eyes and focused his gaze on the road. "It means that you don't have to carry me to bed every night now since I started falling asleep on the couch. Thank you very much, Magnus." Alec retorted with a little hint of sarcasm in his voice and a glint of mischief in his eyes. Magnus chuckled at him.

"You're welcome. Although I must say that you're quite heavy. I was starting to think that I'll be able to build some muscles in me. It was a good exercise." He grinned. Part of what he said was true. Alec _used _to be heavy. He knew that since he'd experienced carrying the other boy when they were seventeen. Alec hurt his ankle during one of his training and Magnus had to be his walking stick for a couple of weeks. Presently when he carried him to his room though, he was surprised to find himself flinging the boy like he weighed nothing and later on Magnus could even carried him bridal style.

"I'm going to finish some reports tonight. You can go to bed first." Alec stated to Magnus as they were already in Magnus's apartment. The latter was locking the door shut when he turned to his friend and said,

"No you're not." Alec eyed him squarely.

"And why so?" He retorted back. Magnus walked past him and opened the bedroom door opposite his, Alec's bedroom door.

"Because I say so." Magnus knew he was being a little bit too much but as Alec was living with him, he figured he had the right to at least make sure the boy living with him was alive and well; at least alive. Magnus pressed on,

"Just get some sleep tonight Alec. I'll wake you up early tomorrow." The other boy growled. He knew he wouldn't be able to win that fight since he was feeling worn out. He simply nodded at the taller guy, giving him a small smile before he entered his room and closed his door. From behind the door he whispered,

"Good night, Magnus."

Part II: Conflicted Feelings

"An A? Seriously Alec, are you fine? Like perfectly fine? That was the first A you've ever got, for Chemistry and it may sounds weird that I'm making a fuss out of _your _marks but you _never _gets an A." It was Magnus. Actually it was the three of them; Magnus, Jace and Alec. Alec was in the middle.

"I thought he's the top in the school?" Jace was confused. They had just come out from the lab and gotten their grades for the first month evaluation for Chemistry. The school system is different you see, as it holds monthly tests and prepares two examinations. You will never get to hear the word quizzes from Institute High.

"He is." Magnus answered him. Alec, although being in the centre had yet to say a word.

"But he never got an A?" Jace questioned further.

"It was always A+." At that, Jace mentally face palmed himself. Of course it was an A+. You don't want to know how he'd performed for all his subjects. Being absent for two years from school means that you would have to work extra hard when you get back to studying. Jace forgot the extra part.

"Please, don't stress out for me Magnus. It'll just bring out your wrinkles." Alec finally spoke. A gasp was heard from Magnus.

"How dare you." They were entering the cafeteria and immediately, Jace noticed Clary together with Izzy and Simon. Those two had really gotten closer. Simon had his arm wrapped around Izzy's waist but when he saw Alec, he immediately pulled away. The trio stride to their table at the centre of the cafeteria.

"What's wrong?" Izzy asked her boyfriend. Simon just held his gaze on Alec. Well, more like on Alec's shoulder. He couldn't look him in the eye. Izzy caught it somehow and she turned to her brother and gave him a smile. He smiled back.

"You don't mind, do you Alec?" She asked too sweetly.

"No, of course not." That was his answer but as he sat down next to his sister, he wrapped his arm around Izzy's waist, imitating Simon's previous action.

"But I think you can keep it hold for a while. I bet you two would have done a lot more if I wasn't in the same school." Simon looked away then and Izzy blushed a little. Alec tugged her a little closer and thankfully Simon didn't notice. He wanted to tell her something.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

"For what?" She whispered back.

"I wasn't feeling well. Magnus keep asking me to sleep early and I forgot to call you." She frowned.

"You weren't feeling well?" Her hand automatically reached out for Alec's forehead but before she could feel it, he stopped her and grabbed her arm.

"I'm fine now." He lied. Izzy finally noticed the pale skin and cracked lips.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She practically growled softly. Izzy was upset. Although they weren't living together anymore, they had promised to look after one another.

"I told you. I slept early and I forgot." He gave her a look so that they can end the conversation at that and maybe continue when they were alone. Izzy understood. Meanwhile, on the other side of the table, Magnus was saying something to Simon when a glance of shiny blonde hair passed his vision. The slender figure was walking at a fast pace and had her arms wound around Magnus's neck in a short second.

"Hey, Magnus." Camille gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"Camille. Are you off to cheer meeting?" She was in her cheerleading uniform and so were the other two girls at the table.

"Yeah. We need extra training since the game is near. I'll see you later, okay? Come girls, we better get off soon." Izzy gave her brother a kiss on the cheek and was about to do the same for Simon when he gave her a look that says "I don't want to be killed by your brother". Clary smiled fondly to the blonde guy. Camille waved at the boys and was leading the two out of the cafeteria. There was no need to mention that all eyes were on them when they walked, not in that uniform which was an exact definition for alluring.

Jace meanwhile was contemplating something in his mind. He wanted to get rid of the uneasy feeling in his stomach and he had planned to do it with all of them present. Now, it was just four.

"Hey, guys. I have something to tell you." He began.

"What is it?" Magnus asked. But before he could say anything further, Alec suddenly got up on his feet and was rushing towards the washroom. His friends had failed to notice his expression turning from mildly sick to ill green.

"Alexander!" Magnus rushed out as well and went after the black-haired. Simon and Jace were left alone at the table, wondering why Alec had run off but Simon was expressing a sad manner.

"Maybe next time, Jace."

"Yeah. Next time."

* * *

><p>Clary and Izzy were walking down the path heading to Izzy's house. They had just ended their cheer meeting and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon in Izzy's room, going through notes and maybe get some sleep. The girls were indeed tired and sore.<p>

"That was really tiring. I mean, Camille is really going all out this year." Izzy exclaimed as she sat down on her chair. Clary settled herself on the floor, her legs crossed underneath her. The girls were aware of their state and they didn't intend to pollute the nicely made bed with their awful odour. The red head stripped herself off her cheerleading uniform and stayed in her undergarments. She wasn't shy of Izzy, although she does envy the other girl's features as the black-haired also did the same.

"It's her senior year. She doesn't want to leave with a bad record." Clary responded.

"I know." Izzy said dejectedly. "She said that many times. Console me here, Clary."

"What do you want me to say?" Clary tilted her head. Accepting the question as an opportunity, Izzy posed the topic that had been bothering her.

"What's going on with you and Jace?"

"What's going on with me and Jace?" Clary repeated the question in the same tone as Izzy which induce an unconvinced look from the taller girl.

"We're just hanging out, Iz." Izzy groaned. She prompted,

"Don't give me that 'we're just hanging out' crap, Clary dear. Come on. You can tell me. Are you guys seeing each other?"

Clary waited a moment before she answered as she looked down on the floor.

"I wish we are. I mean, he's nice and everything but…I don't know. I barely know him." She said honestly.

"You don't still have that crush on Alec, do you?" The brown-eyed girl grinned wickedly at her friend.

"Izzy, that was a long time ago. Please don't bring that up again. Like ever." Clary meant it. She was grinning at the thought of her crush on her best friend's brother when they were thirteen but that had changed when Clary realized that Alec treated her no less like his sister.

"I won't. Sorry." Izzy got down from her chair and sat across her friend, copying her position.

"I like Jace. I hope we can be friends." She said truthfully.

"Then you will." Izzy grabbed the petite girl's hands in her smooth ones and gave it a squeeze. That's how it had always been ever since they've lost Max. Clary was always there for Izzy and vice versa.

"Don't give me hope. I don't even know if he likes me." Clary said disheartened.

"Oh trust me, you're not alone." She smirked. Clary stared at the girl in front her. "What do you mean?"

"He obviously likes you, Clary. I've confirmed it with Simon, just in case and it is true." The emerald eyes plainly lighted up. Clary thought it was enough about her so she asked instead,

"How are you and Simon?" She tried to hide her grin but failed.

"We're fine, I guess." Izzy's reply was nonchalant.

"What do you mean fine?" Izzy's phone beeped at that moment. She opened to see a text from Magnus.

_Hey, Iz. Just want to inform you that Alec's sick and I'm taking him home._

"Who is it?" Clary tried to peep. Izzy scrunched her eyebrows. She just found out that morning that her brother was unwell but she didn't realize it was quite bad.

"It's Magnus. He's bringing Alec home. He's sick." She got up and took her towel, heading straight to the bathroom but not before asking Clary,

"I'm going to Magnus's. Are you coming with me?" She strode off, not waiting for the red head reply but she heard Clary said "Of course" before closing the bathroom door.

* * *

><p>Magnus POV (written by Alice W.)<p>

Alec was sitting on the bed. He kept reaching for the bin and heaving air into it. When he was finally done, he put the bin down and ran the back of his hand over his lips, coughing and sniffling.

"You look like you're having the hangover of your life," I said leaning against the wall, hands tucked in my pockets.

"Shut up, Magnus."

I laughed softly, shaking my head. I pushed myself off the wall and walked over to Alec. "You're just nauseous from the stuff in the lab, Alec. You'll be fine."

"Are you feeling better?" Ms. Loss asked as she approached Alec. She didn't need Alec's reply to know he's sick to the stomach. "You're not well enough, Alec," she said as she inspected Alec.

"I'll take him home," I said, giving the tiny nurse a sideways glance and a smile.

"Y-yes. Sure. I'll have you both excused from class," she fluttered.

We walked out of the nurse's office into the empty school hallway.

"Hmm, what should we do for the rest of the day?" I asked. "Maybe we should see a horror movie to scare away your nausea," I tried to humor the Alec turning green beside me.

"Ha ha," he responded.

After driving out of the school compound, Alec spoke,

"Coach is going to kill me."

"Relax." I said. "You earned it. Besides, you can't train when you're obviously ill."

"I'm starving. I didn't eat anything this morning."

"Yeah, you didn't make me breakfast."

"Your fridge is empty, Magnus."

I shrugged. "Bridget's?"

"Bridget's."

We pulled up outside Bridget's Diner and I noticed the parking lot was full. From the window I saw the football team from Mortmain High, no doubt celebrating a homecoming win. I inwardly sighed. Mortmain High football jocks are known to be troublemakers, always picking fights at parties and any other places just to show off.

I faced Alec, "Hey, how 'bout-"

"Let me guess, take away instead?"

I smiled and nodded.

"Alright, I won't be long."

As he reached for the handle I practically yelled, "No, I'll go!" His eyes widened at me. "You're still sick from the chemicals in the lab. Stay here, you do not want to inhale the odor of obnoxious jocks. Not to mention the immense public display of affection which I'm sure is taking place all over the diner right now. You'll vomit every-"

"Okay, okay," Alec waved his hand limply.

"Be right back," I muttered before getting out of the car.

I sat down on a stool and ordered what Alec and I usually get when we come here. The diner was filled with boisterous laughter. I looked around and saw football jocks and cheerleaders huddled in a booth with their arms around each other. One of the guys, Woolsey Scott, held his hand up at me. I nudged my chin at him and smiled. In one corner, I saw a couple making out. My order is taking a very long time. I was about to look away from the couple but my gaze lingered on the girl. She seemed too familiar. She had pale skin, thick blond hair and a slender figure with just the right amount of curves to have people staring. They pulled apart then, the guy whispered something in her ear which made her laugh and that's when I saw her face. Camille.

I realized my order had arrived. But I was already walking towards them. I was walking at a rapid pace but the sound of my footsteps was discreet. My fists were clenched on my sides. Just a few heartbeats before I can swing the guy around. Then, a hand was on my shoulder swinging me around brusquely. "What the-"

Alec dragged me back towards the counter with his arms firm around my shoulders. He grabbed my order and tossed 20 dollars on the counter. I wrestled out of his grip and stood before him, staring him squarely in the eye.

"Magnus, think, you're just going to embarrass yourself here. You wanna beat the guy up in this diner with all his mates ready to back him up," he said. He shook his head, "I know you can hold your ground but it's like ten against one, it's irrational and you know it."

I sighed the most exasperated sigh and stormed out of the diner with Alec trailing behind me. The ride home was silent. I had no idea what this feeling overwhelming me was, I've never felt like this before. Alec was right, my picking a fight with that guy would do me no favors. I don't always lose my head like that, I'm usually composed. My head was pounding and I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. I drove fast and ran a couple of red lights along the way. Alec would usually complain about me breaking the traffic law. He's very strict about safety on the road lately but he remained quiet next to me today.

When we got home, Alec just tossed our lunch on the table by the door. He then sat on the couch with his feet propped on the coffee table without saying a word to me. He knows I've lost my appetite. He must've expected I'd head straight to my room because he flinched when I sat next to him.

"Damn," I said, staring at the blank flat screen TV in front of us. Alec looked at me and opened his mouth to say something. The look on his face tells me he's going to offer me a piece of advice. But before he could say anything I said, "I mean, really, Camille? A Mortmain High jock? They can't even throw a proper keg party." I raised an eyebrow at him so as to say _remember? _"I don't even recognize that guy back there, he's probably new. You'd think her taste in men would escalate after being with me. But clearly not, right?" I turned to Alec, grinning. He doesn't look amused. He's about to say something but I cut him off again, "I mean at least a college senior or a Broadway actor, they could count as my rival." After a few moments, I said, "Well, that's it then. I'm gonna have to break up with her first before she dumps my sorry ass."

A heavy silence joined the conversation before Alec said, "You're not breaking up with her, Magnus. And she's not dumping you. You won't let her." And with that, I was left thinking Blue Eyes before me knows me too well and he is staring into my soul as he says out loud what I am afraid to admit to myself all this while.

**Do leave a review! :)**

**(Credit to Alice Wednesday for Magnus POV)**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey. Thank you to manibarilo and Wrongaboutme for reviewing. I appreciate it. Here is chapter 5. Enjoy and have a nice day! :)**

Chapter 5  
>Part I: Enduring the Endurable<p>

Simon was finishing the last of his reports for History when a text came in. It was Izzy.

_ Simon, are you asleep?_

He put down his pen and rubbed his eyes before replying her text.

_Nope. Just touching up my History report. Why are you still up?_

_ I can't sleep._ She texted back.

He thought for a moment before typing,

_Can I call you?_

Her reply came shortly after.

_Maybe._

He didn't think long this time. He pushed the call button and dialled Izzy's number. After two rings, she picked up.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey you." She answered.

"What are you doing?" Asked Simon.

"Just lying on my bed not finishing my History report." Simon smiled at that. Izzy's voice sounded distant.

"Are you on loudspeaker?" He asked again.  
>"No."<p>

"You sound distant." He heard a buzzing sound before Izzy answered him back.

"There. Clearer?"

"Clearer." Silence. Simon didn't know what to say next. He waited for her to say something, anything but surprisingly the mute was comfortable for him as he listened to the sound of Izzy's inhaling and exhaling softly.

"Simon?"

"Hmm?"

"I…" She trailed off. He didn't say anything at first but then piped up,

"What is it? What's making my girl unable to go to sleep?" Izzy giggled at that. Simon wondered if he had ever heard her giggled before.

"Ghosts." She joked.

"Ghosts? How dare they intrude a young lady's sleep?" Simon encountered which got out a laugh from Izzy. He laughed as well.

"I was just thinking about you." She muttered.

"Me? You miss me?" He waited for a reply but she didn't say anything. He waited again.

At last he said,

"I miss you." He heard a sharp intake of breathe from her before she tried to cover it with a yawn.

"Alright then. I'll see you at school." Said Izzy.

"Good night." He whispered.

"Good night." She whispered back.

Izzy closed her phone and leaned back on her bed. Her head was more messed up after hearing Simon's words. Before texting her boyfriend, Izzy was just talking on the phone with Alec.

_ "You're on the meds again, aren't you?" Izzy said accusingly to his brother. Alec sighed deeply on the other end._

_ "Only for a while. I have double amount of practice this year."_

_ "I thought so. Well then, you should stop since Jace is on the team." Izzy pressed._

_ "I can't. Not yet. I still have the competitions coming and I need my strength." He retorted back._

_ "But you know those pills are making you ill. That's the side effect." Izzy said to him. She could hear her brother's frustrated sigh and stressed on._

_ "Promise me you'll stop. I saw your grades and they're dropping. You really need to learn how to take care of yourself better, Alec."_

_ "I will." He answered. "You promise me you won't tell Magnus about that."_

_ "I won't." Izzy said. He sighed again._

_ "Are they home?"_

_ "Nope." She popped the 'p'._

_ "Have you had dinner?" He asked some more._

_ "I'm not hungry." She responded._

_ "What were you doing before I called you?" Alec inquired._

_ "I'm working on the Homecoming dance theme. I'm stuck between choosing underwater and paradise. Which one would you prefer?"_

_ "Underwater." Alec chose._

_ "Why?" Izzy asked, frowning._

_ "I don't know. You ask me to choose so I pick one." Izzy could visibly imagine how Alec's expression turned to annoyance. He never liked to give reasons. Izzy noted that since they were small._

_ "Okay, okay. Underwater it is." Said Izzy, defeated. Alec didn't say anything so she quietly asked,_

_ "Alec, when are you coming home?" No answer. Izzy asked again,_

_ "Don't you want to come back?" More silence. Knowing that her brother wouldn't answer her questions she whispered softly to him before hanging up,_

_ "I miss you and Max. I love you Alec. Sleep well." The line was off._

That wasn't the first time she hung up on Alec. She had done so in many occasions when their conversation led to Max or house or their parents. It was always Izzy who brought them up and it was always her who ended up defeated. She couldn't say anything more when Alec said none.

After she hung up, she would feel distress and angry and other emotions combined together. It was as if feeling herself similar to a time bomb; a time bomb that grew smaller and smaller as she learned to accept the fact. When she used to feel uncontrollable and explosive, she now felt only sadness and despair. What used to be a perfect family was torn apart by their youngest' death.

That year though was a different year for Izzy. The boy she had a crush on for Angel knows how long had finally became her boyfriend. That was fine until she couldn't look away at the slightest sight of the brown curled. Simon was always in her mind and without even realizing it, she had turned to him when there's no place else to go. A thought struck her mind and soul as she grasped the reason why she felt restless with Simon's words; Simon had unintentionally and unexpectedly claimed her heart.

* * *

><p>Clary POV<p>

I ran as fast as my feet would carry me. The rain started to fall heavier as I neared my destination. I moved along the sidewalk, trying in vain to pass through the crowds with umbrellas as they pushed against one another, ignoring my small form crushed in between. I walked to the left side and squinted my eyes as the headlights of cars shone brightly, moving the opposite direction to mine.

The night sky which came faster due to the rain was solemnly black. No signs of stars; even the moon was a dull grey in light. I forced myself to stride quicker, belatedly noticing a fast moving car coming towards my side. I stopped frozen and closed my eyes, waiting for the splash of puddle that I knew would rain on me but it never came. Instead, I felt firm grips on both of my arms, as if embracing me and I realized that something or rather someone was blocking me from the pool of water.

The sight that greeted me as I opened my eyes took me by surprise. I looked up and saw a lopsided smile forming on his face. He said,

"That was a close one. Lucky I made it in time." I was staring at his face, not knowing what to say or how to react. His blonde hair was soaked wet and I finally realized that he'd gotten sprayed by the puddle.

"Jace!" I exclaimed. "Why did you do that? Now you're all drenched." To my astonishment, he chuckled.

"Am I supposed to let you get sprinkled by the water, Clary? If I knew you wanted to play, I would have moved aside." He said. I hit him on his arm playfully, only to register that I was still in his arms. I pushed him a little and he let go.

"Why don't we go inside?" He motioned with his head towards a café. I nodded and followed him. As we stepped through the door, strong aromas of coffee and chocolate breached my nose. I inhaled dreamily, loving the feel of caffeine around me. Jace was already moving towards an empty booth and I strode along. We sat facing each other and gave the waiter our orders. A few minutes later, the waiter brought our drinks and set it on the table. When the waiter walked away, I took a sip of the hot chocolate, sighing as I felt my lips made contact with the warm fluid. Jace ordered a cup of mocha and we sat there, enjoying our drink before he asked,

"Where were you going to?" I put down the cup before responding,

"Home. I went to the art store to get my mom a new batch of paints but the one that my mom always used was out of stock and when I was heading home, it started raining." I tried not to sound irritated but it was hard to ignore the cold that soaked through my thin clothes. How I wished I've brought my umbrella along.

"Your mom paints?" Jace asked.

"Some times." I answered him. "What were you doing outside in the rain by the way?"

He took a moment before shrugging,

"My mom's meds."

"How's your mother?" I automatically asked.

"She's fine. Thanks for asking." He said smiling. I couldn't help but looked away. That small gesture was all it took to make my heart skipped a beat.

"Clary, are you okay?" He sounded worried. I look up and tried to hold my gaze which was focusing onto his eyes. His golden orbs were shining as it always was whenever I stole a glance or two at him in school. But now with the absentees of our friends, I could look at him all I want.

"Yeah. I think we should wait for the rain to at least calm down a little bit before we get going." I suggested.

"Yup. It looks like it'll stop soon." And it did. By the time the rain was gone from the sky, we finished our drinks and got out. I was going to say "see you at school tomorrow, Jace" when he intercepted me.

"Let me walk you home." He persuaded on. "It's the least that I can do to make sure you got home safe." I smirked a little on his words. I let him walk beside me and we strolled slowly along the sidewalk. I was startled when I saw my house. I hadn't even realized that we had been walking quietly and no words were exchanged between us along the way.

I stopped when we reached the gate and turned to face him.

"This is my stop. Thanks again for the drink, the walk home and oh the puddle." I joked. Jace smiled that smile of his again and I surprised myself when I closed our distance and kissed him on the cheek. My eyes widened when I pulled away, not knowing the reason behind the peck. I noted that he looked mildly dazed and didn't waste my time to run for the front door. Before I can move though, his fingers wrapped around my waist and pulled me so that I was facing him. We were standing so close to each other, close but not touching.

"You're welcome. I'll see you at school tomorrow, Clary. Sweet dreams." He whispered before slowly moving down and returning the kiss on my left cheek.

"You too." Was my final words to him. My heart was beating wildly and I couldn't stop but think about his words.

_Sweet dreams. _I went to bed with those two words fresh in my memory. Have I actually fallen?

* * *

><p><em>The next day at school...<em>

Magnus POV (written by Alice W.)

I parked the car at our usual parking space. Alec and I got out of the car and made our way to the school entrance. We stopped and waited by the fountain in the front lawn when we saw Camille, Izzy and Clary walking towards us.

"Ladies," I greeted them. They smiled at me. Camille got on her tip toes and gave me a peck on the cheek. How sweet. I smiled achingly at her.

She must've noticed the hurt on my face because she asked, "Are you okay?" Her eyebrows furrowed. She looked genuinely concerned.

No, I'm not okay. "Yeah, good. As always," I winked.

She smiled sweetly at me and wrapped her arms around my waist. Like everything was normal. Like everything was fine. But everything is not normal. And it certainly is not fine. Not fine at all. I don't know what game she's playing but I decide to play along while I find out or until she tells me.

"Hey, Magnus," Izzy said. "Thanks for taking care of my brother. I heard he took it pretty hard in the lab yesterday," she nudged Alec. Alec rubbed his arm like she really hurt him but he couldn't keep from smiling.

"Oh no problem at all," I replied.

"So what did you guys do the rest of the day?" Clary asked.

"Don't tell us you went straight home," Izzy said. "'Cause we went to your place after cheer meeting, Magnus. You guys weren't home," she narrowed her eyes at me.

Alec answered, "We just grabbed food-"

"At Bridget's Diner," I finished for him. I can feel Alec eyeing me carefully.

"Really?" Clary said. "That's where our cheer meeting was."

"Until Mortmain jocks came and had their little party there," Izzy scoffed. "Better to leave before the inevitable brawl blocks our escape."

I laughed. "Yeah, we saw them."

"Did you catch Camille?" Clary asked. "She stayed a while after we left."

"Funny you mentioned that-"

Alec cut me off, "No, we didn't see her." He turned to me, giving me the don't-be-an-asshole look. I countered with the what-the-hell-do-you-think-you're-doing look.

Just then, I saw Simon and Jace moving in the school compound. I hollered after them and waved for them to come over.

Simon and Jace said hi to everyone. Izzy and Clary seemed drawn to Jace since he's the new kid, particularly Clary. She kept asking him all sorts of questions. Izzy, on the other hand, payed attention simply because she was attentive. It's a good quality, her alertness keeps her on her toes. She's capable of looking out for herself that way. So Simon told us about how he and Jace were friends since little and how they always went over to each other's places and hung out. I noticed Simon said all these things in the past tense which means they probably haven't seen each other in a while. But I didn't ask. At one point, Simon brought up that Jace once got in trouble for almost drowning their neighbor's chameleon. Alec bursted out laughing at this. I mean, it was a funny story and all but, geez, I had no idea, Goldilocks' a menace. One thing I can't tolerate, cruelty to animals. They told us stories about when they were kids. Every sentence beginning with _remember whens_. Remember when you broke your fibula? _Remember when you had a crush on the substitute teacher? _Remember when you got chased by that rabid hound?

"You two reminisce like this as if you don't see each other everyday," Camille commented.

Clearly, she had caught them off guard because the two just looked at each other, like they've been caught stealing.

Camille noticed this and took advantage of their dumbfounded state. "Wait, how long has it been since you last seen each other?"

"A while..," Jace said.

Camille regarded him, her eyes narrowing slightly taunting him to elaborate.

"Well, it _was_ summer break," Simon said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I was away, uh, on a vacation with my mom," Jace continued.

"I see," Camille concluded, unsatisfied by the brief explanation.

The bell rang, interrupting our discussion. Promptly, we all made our way to home room. On my way, Alec grabbed me by the arm.

"I really don't think you should confront her yet," he said quietly.

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You know, Magnus, you just gotta see where it goes first. She's not that kind of girl."

"Uh huh."

"Well, yeah, okay. She's a flirt. But she's not a cheater right? I'm telling you, there's something else," he patted me on the back and walked ahead.

Alec definitely left me something to think about when he said that. I can't say I disagree with him. And I have to admit I'm quite confused myself. Why wasn't I furious the moment I saw her face? Deep down, deep down, I think I understand her. I just don't want to jump to conclusions yet_._

Part II: Haze About To Fade

Jace could still feel Camille's eyes on him, her suspicions made him more insecure. He had to do this now but he wasn't mentally prepared. Then out of nowhere, his gaze turned to Clary. The girl was laughing at something that Simon had said but his mind didn't catch what it was nor did he care. All he knew was if he really wanted to let somebody knew of his past, the first person would be the redhead.

The second the others were out of sight, Jace grabbed Clary's arm. The girl turned around, shocked at the contact but remained silent as she waited for the blonde to say his words.

"Clary, I need to tell you something." He said nervously.

"What is it? Can't it wait? The second bell's going to ring any minute and we can't be late, Jace." Clary sounded urgent but she remained on her spot. Jace took a deep breath and let out a sigh. Should I do this? He thought. He was at a war with his inner self when the redhead's voice broke his muse.

"Fine. If you have to say it now then make it quick." She added with a smile in her speech. Jace looked at her eyes and said,

"I like you, Clary. I really do. I'm not trying to fool you or anything. I just want to let it out." He took another deep breath and she let him continued, keeping her manner cool.

"There is something that you must know about me and I really hope this will not change anything." Jace searched for any sign of doubt in Clary's expression but found none. She was still waiting for him to finish.

"I…I-I am an ex juvenile. I drove without a license and got into an accident. I just got out last year and haven't been to school for two years. Simon helped me into this school." He gulped. In the background, he heard the bell rung but it sounded far away. It had taken all of his breath to finish his sentences and he struggled not to close his eyes as he examined the look on Clary's face. The girl was looking down at the floor; her hair covered her emerald orbs. Time seemed to slow down for Jace.

After a few seconds she responded, unfazed.

"Meet me at the café the other day after school, would you?" Jace was speechless. He'd never expected that reaction although he could not say what kind of reaction he was expecting but it sure wasn't that. Clary turned and walked to her class, leaving behind the still stunned Jace. After only taken a few steps, she chimed in again.

"Thanks for telling me Jace. I really appreciate that. You better get going. I'll see you later." And she left.

Jace let out the breath that he had unconsciously held in. He walked to his class and sat down. The whole time, he was glad he'd managed to tell Clary about his past as he sincerely liked her and for that he was grateful.

Clary walked as calm as she could manage the entire path heading towards the lab. She sat down at her table and greeted Izzy.

"Hey." The other girl replied,

"You're late. Thank God the teacher hasn't come yet." Clary gave her a shrugged and stuck out her tongue which Izzy hilariously retuned. She went back to her musing and tried to recall what Jace had just told her. She caught all of his words about being an ex-juvenile and everything but the one thing that remained in her head was his confession.

_I like you, Clary. I really do._

She smiled to herself remembering those words but she tried to hide it when she saw that some of the students including Izzy was looking and grinning at her, particularly Izzy. They all shifted out into focus mode as the teacher entered and started the learning session. Clary counted patiently for school to end, eager and yet anxious to meet the blonde.

* * *

><p>Magnus POV (written by Alice W.)<p>

During lunch, we sat vis-à-vis at the table. The girls told us about their plans for the homecoming dance decors. Underwater theme. Blue balloons, blue ribbons, a mermaid ice sculpture, tridents, the usual stuff. To which I'm generally impassive about. Not that I didn't care about the homecoming dance. Not at all. I live for social events. But if it were up to me, I'd deck the hall lustrous. It's fail-safe. Bright ambiance would get everyone pumped and dancing the night away.

"What do you guys think?" Clary asked. "Or, I was thinking we could go for an '80s theme?"

"Yeah yeah, old school style," Simon said.

Here's my chance. "'80s, definitely. Use glitter. A lot."

"But glitters are messy," Izzy frowned. "And it's gonna take forever just to cover the dance floor."

"Don't be lazy," I countered, pointing at her with my fork.

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one doing all the work," she snapped. "Besides, we're gonna need a lot of glitter. I'm pretty sure the craft store's only sell in small packets. I've never heard anyone selling glitter in bulk."

"It'll be worth it when you guys are done. Everyone's gonna love it," I coaxed. Izzy doesn't look convinced. "You'll get super popular for this," I added in a sing-song voice. "Back me up here," I said to Alec.

He held both his hands up, not wanting to get involved in our debate. Some friend.

To my surprise, Jace said, "I think I like the '80s theme."

Izzy raised her eyebrows at him.

"It's retro. It's a good change from the common motif," he said.

I smiled widely at him and turned to Camille. "Camille?"

"'80s," she replied breezily.

"So that's everyone against the Lightwoods," I announced, fastening my hands against the back of my head and leaning back in my seat. "Don't worry, I'll get the glitters for you. I've got a guy," I grinned at Izzy.

She glared at me but couldn't hide her amusement. And thanked me anyway.

"But, the real matter at hand is," I began. "getting a date," I finished in a low voice, to no one in particular. Their reaction was priceless. I could almost feel the attraction and tension around the table. Simon and Izzy looked at each other knowingly, Izzy blushed. She was blushing. That doesn't happen a lot so I savor the moment. Yes, it's rude to stare but it's okay as long as they don't catch you. Alec and Camille looked unaffected. Clary was just poking her food but she was seemingly thinking about something. And Jace, he glanced at Clary, looked away and then back again. Someone's got a crush on the red-headed cheerleader.

After lunch, Camille stopped me by the cafeteria door.

"What's up?" I asked her.

"I wanted to apologize," she started. And pulled me back into the cafeteria where there are less people by then. I could see everyone shuffling out the cafeteria. "I'm sorry," she said. She held my gaze.

"What are you sorry for?" I asked.

She hugged me. "For everything," she said against my chest.

"Everything?"

She just held me tightly.

"Camille," I prompted.

She peeled herself from me. And seemed to be sorting herself out. She touched her forehead, her lips, as if she couldn't believe she'd said that. "It's just, I've been weird, haven't I? That's because I do feel weird around you. Like my heart speaks louder than my brain and I'm afraid I might say aloud my heart's content. I don't know. So I get scared and stayed away from you and see other... um, thinking that would erase whatever it is I'm feeling but it didn't." Then, she let out a breath like she's relieved. I looked at her and it dawned on me that she was confused and battling herself. She thought I couldn't understand her because she was rambling. But I do, because that's how I feel too, only less dramatic.

As I was about to say something, she interrupted. "Gotta go. Don't wanna be late for Biology, Mrs. Dark's a witch," she said, giving me wink. "See you." And she walked out the cafeteria.

* * *

><p>Alec watched in silence at the two figures, unknown to the rest of the group as they parted ways to their respective classes. When the blonde girl was out of view and Magnus turned his head to him, Alec didn't look away. Instead, he let his eyes betrayed him.<p>

Magnus notified something was wrong with Alec's stare when he turned his head towards the blue eyed. They were the only ones left still in the cafeteria as other students rushed out from there. Both of the tall boys stood there, scrutinizing each other not worrying of being late as they both had free period at that moment. Magnus closed their distance, taking big steps towards the other guy. Was it disappointment that he saw in the azure orbs or was it distress? He could not tell. He would never be able to tell anything from Alec. The other dark-haired was a riddle.

"Hey. What's wrong?" He asked lightly, not trying to sound as concerned as he was.

"Nothing's wrong." Alec answered yet his eyes lead astray things that Magnus could not deciphered. He let out a heavy sigh and flung out his long arms as he said to Alec,

"Look, I didn't confront Camille okay. At least not yet. I listened to your advice. Happy now?" Alec kept his face downcast so Magnus couldn't see his expression. Although after a while Alec did answer him back.

"Very. Very happy." It came out mumbled from Alec's mouth and Magnus thought that Alec was struck with another nausea that had been bothering him for the past few weeks. In reflex, Magnus grabbed his shoulders as if straightening him up when Alec was standing perfectly alright.

"What are you doing?" Alec asked as he looked incredulously at his friend. Magnus blinked a few times looking straight at Alec searching for a hint of sickness but the boy was fine. He let go of the other's shoulder and exhaled.

"For a moment I thought you were going to throw up again. You're not sick, are you?" He asked for who knows how many times. He'd been pestering Alec with worry and unease since the boy was under the weather and Alec thought he might die from over concern. Alec, still dazed from his thoughts answered exasperatedly,

"I'm fine! How many times do I have to tell you that I'm off the me-" He abruptly stopped as the realization kicked in. He was talking to Magnus, not his sister.

"I'm perfectly well, Magnus. You don't have to worry." He took a few steps forward until he reached the cafeteria's door, holding on to the door as he turned around and told Magnus that,

"I need to go and see Mr. Phillip. I'll see you in class." Alec rushed off from sight. Magnus stay rooted where he was standing, unmoving. His mind was somehow confused at Alec's hanging sentence for he never knew about Alec's 'requirement'. Magnus let out a chuckle and absentmindedly sighed again as his thought,

_I will always worry about you, Alexander._


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Chapter 6! Have a fun time reading and a nice day all along! :)**

Chapter 6

Part I: Accepting And Denying

The sound of sticks clashing could be heard from outside the training room's door. The members of the fencing team were having their regular practice except for the absent of their coach. Alec stood on the mat facing one of his junior. They had just ended a few rounds of sparring and Alec was about to evaluate him when the door sprung opened with a loud bang. Every heads in the room turned to one direction and saw a moving blur of golden sprinting in. Although some may still wonder who the figure was, Alec was already getting his speech ready.

"You're late, Jace. You know the rules." He said in an unnervingly tone and didn't miss the blonde's smirk at him. His back was still facing Jace when he talked which got out a few surprising looks from his teammates.

"On second thought, why not double it? Let this be a lesson to all of you." Alec said, his words flowed finely as the smirk on Jace's face disappeared at the thought of 1000 push-ups. The other students who were sniggering at the golden boy stood up straight at the sudden command.

"Enough with the distraction. Resume with your training!" Alec further exclaimed. He walked to the boy in front him and said,

"You're doing well. I won't be surprise if coach picks you as the next one in line when I graduate. Work hard." He encouraged and gave the slightly astounded student a warm smile.

"T-Thank you. I will do my best." The boy voiced. Practice was carried on as usual with Alec moving from groups to groups, inspecting the others and reprimanding what was lacking but he never once went to Jace. The blonde was sparring with another student-a senior as well whose name Alec could not recall. Although Jace was a late bloomer, it was obvious for all eyes to see that the blonde was better than the other. Alec couldn't help but curled his lips into a little smile.

Soon, the practice came to an end and the students were eagerly moving out from the training room. Most of them were. Alec had asked Jace to stay behind and wait for him to return from the washroom. As he sat tight, he suddenly heard voices coming from the corridor. Feeling anxious-as it was Jace after all-he inched closer to the door and poked his ear through the slight opening, listening or more like eavesdropping.

"Just because Alec said you were good doesn't mean you're _that_ good. Look kid, if I ever hear you say things like that again, I swear I would-"

"Would what?" A familiar voice cut in. Jace couldn't take the anxiety any longer so he peered his eyes and saw Alec standing just a few steps away from the door, facing another two figures, a small boy who looked by the age of fifteen pinned to the wall and a bigger size guy hovering over him. Both pair of eyes was shocked to see the tall dark haired.

"Let him go, Clifford." Alec said calmly. The bigger sized guy-Clifford released his hands from the smaller boy's shoulder. Surprisingly, the boy didn't move.

"Go." Alec said to the boy. He gave a tiny nod as if to urge the boy to move and be gone from the scene. Once he vanished from view, Clifford looked at Alec with a challenging stare.

"You should leave now, Clifford." Alec remained composed as he ordered the younger guy.

"Or what? You're gonna report me to coach?" This Clifford guy spat back. Alec continued,

"I'm not going to report anything if you leave this instant."

Clifford took a step forward, a scowled carved on his expression as he spoke hoarsely,

"You can't order me Alec. Training time's over so I don't have to listen to you. Just because you're the coach's favourite you think you can do as you like?" The blue eyed was standing stoically that made Clifford suddenly hesitated with his insults.

"Done? Let me make it clear for you. That boy is good and he has skills some of us don't. If you think you are better than him, prove it to the coach and not by threatening him when he's defenseless. That's what cowards do." Alec words just made the boy angrier.

"Why you son of a-" Jace decided that he'd heard and seen enough so he stepped out from his hiding, his face serious. When Clifford saw him, he took a step back and the tension in his body slowly façade as he let out a laugh.

"I see you have back-ups. He's one of your kind, isn't he? Coach's pet. And I'm the coward one." He jeered while shaking his head mockingly. Alec looked over his shoulder and saw the blonde looking at him as well. The dark haired unknowingly let out a sigh.

Clifford made a move to walk away but before he left, he said this to Jace in a low tone,

"Don't think I don't know where you came from, Herondale. One mistake is all it takes to bring you down." Then Clifford turned around the corner and left with a sneer on his face.

Jace was shocked at the guy's words and he paled visibly. Alec turned to face him, his mouth moving to say something and Jace thought his heart was going stop when Alec talked.

"Let's go back in and spar, shall we?" The dark haired moved past him, not showing that he'd caught the look on Jace's face. The blonde trailed along from behind, still stunned from the event that had just occurred. He swallowed hardly when he saw that Alec was staring at him.

"You alright?" Alec asked. It sounded weird coming from him when usually it was Jace's query. The male in questioned nod his head swiftly before answering,

"Y-Yeah. Let's get started." And they both sparred. Jace was somehow still disturbed at the fact that someone else knew about his past and he was scared if the story got out and reached his friends. He wanted to tell them but he never got the chance. Clary was an exception although he did not know how to explain that. A hit from Alec brought him back to reality.

"Focus." Was his command. Jace regained his composure and did as he was told until he couldn't take his nerves anymore.

"Alec, wait. I need you to listen to what I'm about to tell you." The other guy held down his weapon and nodded.

"Okay. I'm listening."

"About what the guy said just now…it's….something….just-" He couldn't finish his sentence. Jace's head was too mixed up and he could not decide what was right at that moment. Finally, after a long torment of quietness Alec told him,

"You don't have to tell me if you're not ready. I won't make you say it and it won't change anything. Alright?" Jace searched Alec's eyes and all he saw was sincere.

"But don't you want to know?" He pressed on even though his heart screamed for him to stop. He wasn't ready for it. Or was he?

"Only if you want me to know." Alec answered. Jace took a moment before letting go of his weapon and moved forward. He sat down on the mat once he was near enough to Alec, his legs curled underneath him as Alec sat down as well. He took a deep breath and exhale slowly while the dark haired waited patiently.

"Where should I start?" Jace asked in a low voice, more to himself but Alec heard it.

"How about you tell me from the beginning? That'll be easier." Alec said jokingly, trying to cease the tension that hung in the air. Jace managed to let out a small chuckle at his friend.

"Okay then." Jace replied. "My mom has been suffering from asthma since I was 7. My father left when I was 13 so it was just me and her. We moved here and met Simon and his mother. Mine and his became friends and that's how me and Simon became 'chaos'. That's what they call us." A smile form on Jace's face as he reminisce all the trouble he'd got into with Simon. He proceed saying,

"My mom had been through several attacks from the past and one time it happened, I was alone with her. I didn't go to school that day because she was sick. When she started to feel weak or ill, I knew something was wrong. The day she got attacked, I couldn't ask for help. Simon was at school, his mom still at work and we had a car. I knew how to drive but I didn't have a licence. Out of sheer panic, I took out the keys and dragged my mom. I said "I'm taking you to the hospital." In her state, she didn't argue with me and that only made me even more worried. I couldn't think straight. I drove and it happened, the accident. Only then I wondered why didn't I just called the taxi and get us to the hospital. Stupid, I know. I spent two years in a Boy's Home. I got out and Simon got me in here."

He took a breath after the long explanation. "Well, that's about it." Jace turned his head so that he could see Alec's face. The blue eyed was staring back at him, his expression neutral.

"Who else knows about this?" Alec spoke in a low tone. He sounded sleepy to Jace.

"Only you and Clary. I guess I have to count Clifford too, huh." At one point, Alec closed his eyes.

"You two are seeing each other, right?" He asked.

"Yeah. Wait, how did you know?" Jace asked back, surprised at knowing that someone knew about their recent development in relationship. Alec grinned at Jace's respond.

"Izzy." Jace groaned. So much for trying to keep it a secret.

"Don't worry. We all would've known eventually even if you don't tell us." Alec further teased the blonde when he saw how Jace reacted. The golden boy groaned even more.

"I better get going. Magnus is waiting for me. See you, Jace." Alec said, standing up and brushing his wrinkled uniform. Jace got up as well and bid the other guy goodbye. He went to keep the weapons and then he walked over to the bench to retrieve his belongings. Only then he realized that Alec didn't comment anything on his past. In fact, Alec had brushed it off and stayed the same.

* * *

><p>Magnus POV (Written by Alice W.)<p>

I walked into Tony's Pizza Place and spotted them immediately, Alec, Izzy, Camille, Simon, Jace and Clary seated at table by a large window draped in velvet curtain. I ran my hands through my slightly dampened hair. The air-conditioned breeze seeped through my shirt and I could feel the prickly coolness against my skin. I walked towards the table and sat at an empty seat beside Camille.

"Sorry, I'm late," I said. "Couldn't find a parking spot." Everyone turned to me.

"Magnus, you're soaked," Camille said. Total overstatement.

"I'm alright," I said.

"I have a jacket of yours in my car." She got up swiftly and went out the back door.

"How is it that someone like you could forget your jacket?" Alec questioned, rubbing his chin.

I thought of a comeback but only ended up saying, "I'm only human."

"Can we order already?" Izzy asked.

Jace called the waiter and we ordered. From the window I could see the rain getting heavier in the darkness outside. I could hear my friends' voices around the table and also chatter from other tables in the restaurant.

Camille wasn't back yet so I decided to look for her. "Excuse me," I said.

I went outside and found the parking lot. I spotted Camille's car easily. It stands out from other automobiles around it. Camille was talking or more like arguing-she had a certain posture when she was angry-with a figure I didn't recognize but I'd bet my money it was the guy from the diner. I went back inside.

After dinner, Jace got a text from Woolsey Scott, inviting him to his party. I knew about this party, people have been talking about it for days. Jace and Simon seemed eager to go.

"It's been ages since I last been to a party," Jace said. I find that hard to believe. Jace didn't seem like the kind of guy who just sits at home, he's definitely the party type.

"Oh, really now?" Camille said, surprised.

"We should go," Simon said before Jace could reply. "This party is huge."

Clary and Izzy was all for it too. And if Izzy was going to this party which just spells trouble, I knew Alec was undoubtedly going too. I wasn't about to miss out on the fun. So we all agreed to meet up at Woolsey's.

Alec and I arrived at Woolsey's neighbourhood and I was fairly surprised at his crowded compound. Cars were parked all along the street. I had to park a hundred yards from Woolsey's house. Alec and I walked to the house and I spotted some expensive cars parked in front. I saw that Jace, Simon, Clary and Izzy were already waiting for us.

"Dude, there is _so_ many people," Jace said, almost hopping on his feet. "This is awesome."

Simon laughed. "Let's get inside."

They trailed into the house blasting with music. Alec turned, "You coming?"

"Yeah. Go ahead. I'm gonna wait for Camille for a little bit," I told him. I had this weird feeling. Alec went inside. And I waited near the door, taking in my surrounding. There are a so many people outside, I imagine it's even more crowded inside. They all looked our age. I recognized some of them, faces I've seen a lot at parties before. They're from different schools. Woolsey invites kids from different schools, I guess that's why his parties are so popular and always bring about fights.

A group of guys made their way to the house. "Bane," one of them greeted me.

"What are you doing out here, man?" another guy asked.

"I don't think I'd fit in," I gestured towards the house. And I meant this literally, the house looked like it would explode.

"Drunk already?" He chuckled. "Woolsey's outdone himself this time. Cops are gonna be buzzing 'round this place soon." I don't doubt that.

Couple minutes later, I saw Camille and diner guy pacing on the curb. I went over.

"No, we were never anything," I heard Camille say.

"Come on, Camille. I know you want me," diner guy replied.

"I don't think so, Josh," she laughed. "I _always_ know what I want and it's definitely not you. Look, we kissed once, it doesn't mean anything. _You _don't mean anything," she said simply.

He kept reaching for her and I think he's trying to kiss her.

"Stop," Camille said, pushing him away.

"Can't take rejection?" I stood next to them.

Camille turned to me, wide-eyed. "And who the hell do you think you are?" Josh asked loudly. "_This_," he motioned between him and Camille. "is none of your business."

"Oh, you have no idea how involved I am in _this_," I said. Clearly, no one told this guy.

Right then, two guys came to his side, one of them had closely cropped hair and piercing on his lower lip while the other guy was huge.

Josh initiated a punch. I dodged in time and tackled him to the ground. Skinhead came behind me and lifted me off him. And I shoved him backwards against a fence. He grunted but still had an iron grip around me. I saw that Clary and Izzy got Camille to leave. The big guy stood in front of me, he swung his fist back and was about to deliver his blow. But then a fist came crashing to his jaw. Jace's. I wrestled out of Skinhead's arms. And Josh started to come at me. I went for his face. I saw Alec wrestling with Skinhead. I realized that we have an audience now. I punched-my knuckles getting raw-and blocked. As exhilarating as it feels, I was immediately put off by the idea that I was in the middle of tonight's imperative fight at _Woolsey's_ party. Wonderful. Hastily, I shoved Josh towards Alec's opponent. They both crashed to the ground. I heard sirens, getting louder by the second. I see people scattering around the lawn, leaving. Party's over. Alec urged me to move. He grabbed Jace by the collar and hoisted him off the ape.

We ran down the street. I could hear the blaring sirens before begin to soften as we made our way down the street. We stopped far enough to catch our breath.

"That was fun," Jace boomed, panting. He was grinning from ear to ear. I could see that he was utterly thrilled and a little drunk.

I laughed.

"That was amazing! This is one of the best nights of my life. I haven't had that much fun since," he paused. "since forever," he finished, still grinning.

"Help me find out where those delinquents go and maybe we could do that again," I said, my expression mirroring his.

Alec shot me a look.

"Anytime," Jace said.

I play-punched Alec on his shoulder and said "Hey peace-loving Alec, I didn't know you have it in you."

"You're not hurt right?" he asked, glassy-eyed and a crease started to form between his eyebrows. He was pale too, as opposed to usual. The last time he looked like this was after the accident.

"Um, yeah..." I answered. I wanted to say something else-I wasn't sure what-something more reassuring maybe or ask if he was okay.

But Clary, Simon and Izzy ran toward us. Izzy hugged her brother. "Are you okay?" she asked him, looking at him full of concern.

"Yeah, don't worry" he said, offering her a smile. "We should clear out."

Clary, Jace and Simon left after saying goodbye.

I saw Camille walking over. "Oh my God! What were you thinking?" she shouted.

"What were _you _thinking?" I asked back.

"I was thinking, I wanted to humiliate him in front of the crowd that had conveniently gathered. Show him who I am," she said. Yeah, she's mean.

"What exactly did he do to deserve such reprimand?" I asked.

She didn't answer.

"Was it the thing that happened at the diner few days back?" I urged. "You remember right?" I crossed my arms.

Camille blinked. She looked like she was about to cry but I couldn't be certain because she looked away hastily. And walked quickly to her car.

"That did _not_ just happen," Izzy said. She looked like she just watched a bad ending of a post-apocalyptic movie. "That wasn't how it was supposed to go down. She was supposed to explain it smoothly. We had a freaking script."

I snorted.

"You don't see it, do you?" She asked me. Then, looked at Alec like_ is your friend for real? _Alec shrugged.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Can't you take a hint?" she asked furiously.

"Oh yeah, 'cause she was dropping such obvious hints," I threw my hands up. "Like kissing that Josh fellow."

"It's her first time being in l-, you know" Izzy cleared her throat. "She's in-denial like that. She has a cold girl reputation to maintain."

"Sure. And I have a cool guy card to keep," I joked.

Izzy sighed. "You two are so vain," she said. "I'm going home. Good night, Alec." She gave Alec a peck on the cheek and turned to walk away.

"What, I don't get a good night kiss?" I asked her.

She stuck her tongue out at me.

I laughed and shook my head. Then I turned to Alec. "Go ahead. Say what you want to say," I said.

Alec's face turned red. "What? W-what do you mean? What do I want to say?" he let out a nervous laugh.

"Um, that I'm a coward because I wouldn't say the three words first?" I suggested.

"Oh," he said. "No, nope." He shook his head. He seemed a bit jumpy, maybe because of the adrenaline from the brawl.

"Right," I said. Then, we made our way to my car and went home too.

* * *

><p>Jace POV<p>

I got home that night and I couldn't help but feel alive once again. It had been a long time since I last had 'fun' although I have to admit some parts on my body was starting to ache. I slipped out from my clothing and got into the bath tub. The hot water eased some of the pain and I let out a hiss followed by a content sigh. I'm not really the kind that looks for trouble but if the trouble came to me, it was most of the time welcomed.

As I got out from my bathroom and put on my clothes, my phone rang. I flipped it open and smiled.

"Hey Clare-bear. To what do I owe this pleasure?" I said to my redhead.

"Shut up, Jace. I'm calling because I just want to know whether you're alright." She replied, distress. I was confused for a while before I get what she meant.

"You should check on the other guy. I bet he's worse." I joked.

"Seriously, Jace? Can you just please answer my question so I can go to bed already?" Clary said almost sounding furious but Jace knew she was only getting irritated.

"I'm fine Clary. That dude didn't stand a chance with me. You know that. Can you go to sleep now?" I asked.

I could hear her let out a sigh of relief before answering me,

"Good night, Jace."

"Sweet dreams Clary." I smiled and hung up.

After we met at the café for the second time, Clary confessed to me that she was feeling the same way as I did. I didn't waste my time and asked her out. She knew about the whole juvenile thing. I told her bits by bits of what happened that day whenever we had a date. She never got bored listening to me. When I was done talking, I would ask her about her life. She told me that her parents got a divorce when she was 11. Her father left with her brother, Jonathan. She stayed with her mother.

She met Izzy in middle school and they instantly became best friends. Clary often got invited by the Lightwoods to come and have sleepover with Izzy. She told me how the siblings always played with her. Whenever they played hide and seek, Alec would be it and he would search the whole house for them. Their little brother, Maxwell would also play along and he usually hides together with Clary or Izzy.

Clary never finished her story when she realized she had mentioned about Alec's younger brother to me. She never once again talked to me about them. That was as far as she'd slipped and I never bothered to ask her because I know it would only hurt her. I was curious about the whole thing that happened to the family and I knew that if I really wanted to find out, then I should ask Alec. It was only right to hear it from him. Maybe I could try during one of our practice. Even though I trained with the fencing team, Alec tended to hang back and spar with me a few rounds. I didn't know what it meant at first but after a few times, I finally understood what he was doing. Alec was trying to let me in by letting me see the other side of him that few of the others including Izzy and Magnus usually saw.

Through his moves and steps, I learned that he cares for those around him by being careful and vigilant. Through his hits and attacks, I observed that although he was being open, there were still some secrets in him and through his blue eyes I could see that the dull orbs weren't shining the way eyes were supposed to. There were scars left untreated to heal with time but I caught something else. It was small at first but I eventually grasped what it was; Alec was blaming himself all those times and nobody saw it. Nobody but me. The worst part was I didn't know how to help him. There was nothing I could do but to be by his side. If only it was as easy as it sounds.

**How was it? If you noticed there's only one part in this chapter because the second part was too long for me to fit it together but don't worry, I'll make sure I update a lot more sooner and with sooner I mean in a couple of days. Do look forward and tell me what you think! :)**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here it is as promised. This is the last part of Magnus' POV written by the ever so amazing Alice Wednesday. Thank you dear. It would have been impossible without you. Many thanks to manibarilo and Wrongaboutme for reviewing and those who read For This Life.**

**Have fun reading and as always, have a nice day! :)**

Chapter 7

Part I: Falling Into Embrace

"You did that on purpose. You left those two alone so that they can work it out and now you're kidnapping me to somewhere else." Alec stated. He glared at his sister who had her hands on the steering wheel, eyes focused on the road but he knew she heard him. Izzy lied when she told Magnus and Camille that they wouldn't be back until Sunday which was absurd since they still had school the next day.

"Come on, Alec. I'm not kidnapping you. I'm just…taking you somewhere else while Magnus and Camille kiss each other sorry." Alec cringed at that thought inwardly. He sighed and gave up. He was already buckled up in the seat anyway.

"Where are we going?" He asked, looking at the road that Izzy was taking. It was too familiar to his comfort.

"Home." She answered quietly. She quickly added,

"They're not at home. Just keep me company for a while and then I'll send you back." She turned to Alec for a second before looking out at the road again. Her hands unconsciously gripped the steering wheel tighter that her knuckles showed. She couldn't see Alec's expression because he was looking out the window. He sat quietly, his body still and Izzy thought that if it wasn't for the rise and fall of his chest, she looked like she was driving with a mannequin sitting beside her.

"Alec, say something." She prodded his elbow but he didn't move. After what seemed like centuries for Izzy, he spoke,

"His birthday is two weeks from now. What should we get him this year?" He was still facing the window and his body slumped in the seat. Alec's voice was calm.

"More manga books. Definitely. He would love that." Izzy uttered. Her voice, unlike her brother was wavering and she held back the tears that were forming from slipping past her eyelids.

"Yeah. He would love that." Alec said. The whole journey to their once-a-sweet-home was spent with Alec gazing out into space and Izzy driving while listening to the radio. Once she got into their garage, she could see Alec trying hard not to bolt away the moment she opened the front door. It was hard for her but it was painful for him.

"Why don't we sit down in his room and see which copy we haven't got him yet?" Izzy proposed. Alec gave a weak nod while Izzy closed the front door. He looked to his left and then right. A lot of things had been moved since he had last visit. No more of his trophies and pictures displayed around the living room and dining hall. He who used to be the pride of the family was disposed easily by his parents.

Izzy climbed the stairs while taking Alec's hand in hers as if guiding him up. He didn't protest though. The thought of walking around in their house after so long was making him feel jelly on the knees. The last time he'd been in the house was the night after Max's funeral. He'd grabbed his clothes and stuffed his things into a bag and stormed out from the house.

The sound of creaking was heard when Izzy pushed the bedroom's door opened. The room looked amazingly clean and neat. If Alec didn't know better he'd thought that Max was still alive and living but he knew it was either Izzy or their mom that had kept Max's room as the way it usually was. Although some of the essentials were missing; his comic books that used to be piled up beside his bed so that he could just reach out and read it anytime he wants were neatly arranged on the bookshelf including some newly added ones that they bought for his birthday last year, his bed that were usually unmade and messy were nicely covered by a sheet that had already been pressed and his glasses that used to be a part his daily wardrobe was lying on his desk coated with a layer of dust, the sign of not being wore by the owner for so long.

Alec had to suppress a sob as his mind pictured Max lying on his stomach on the bed with a book in his hands and legs dangling on the bedpost, looking up and smiling at them as they entered. He quickly shoved away the image when Izzy turned around and looked at him but he knew it was too late to control his facial expression. His sister gave him a sad smile and he went to the small size bed and sat near the end.

"Father and mother had an argument a few nights before." Izzy broke the silence. "Father wanted to get rid of all…this but mother won't allow him. He hit her." Izzy weakly voiced the incident that occurred between Robert and Maryse. She sat down as well on the other side of the bed. Alec pulled her over and they both lied down facing each other on the small bed. Izzy had her arms neatly tucked under her chin while Alec was caressing her black hair gently.

"He's changed, Alec." Her voice broke at his name. "He got too consumed by his grief that he'd forgotten the rest of his family." By then, Izzy was crying. Streams of tears were falling down her face and Alec didn't do or say anything to make it stop. He let her cried as he wrapped his arms around her and kept his hold on her firm and solid. He held his sister like nothing could break them apart.

After a while, she calmed down. Izzy look up into her brother's face. Her lips moved when she said,

"Please come home. I can't do this alone." Alec closed his eyes and held out a shaky breath.

"I'm scared, Alec. I don't know what to do." She murmured in his chest but he could hear her just fine.

"Sleep. I'll be right here." Alec said as he stroked her ebony hair lovingly. Sunset had long gone as there were no light rays that usually passed through the curtains. Both of the figures stayed there in each other arms. Alec watched as his sister fell asleep and a few minutes later, he followed suit as well.

* * *

><p>Magnus POV (Written by Alice W.)<p>

She was in my apartment and standing by the wide window with a classic view overlooking New York City. She was wearing a black leather jacket with a sheer white shirt underneath and skinny jeans that fit her a little too perfectly. Her hair was up, her loose curls just touching the nape of her neck. She looked chimerical in the moonlit living room and with the lights from the sleepless metropolis outside illuminating her immaculate features. This would have been the most ordinary sight for me. But after what happened the last few days, I was in awe of her presence.

I walked in her direction and stopped at a distance from her so she doesn't have to crane her neck when she looks at me. She was staring out the window blankly, she seemed to be lost in her own train of thoughts. Shoving my hands into my pockets I said, "Camille."

She gasped ever so slightly at the sound of my voice. She turned to face me, her lips slightly parted. She looked as calm as ever. Her breathing so regulated you would think she wasn't even breathing if you've never been close enough to hear her heartbeats. She didn't have any bad habits when she's nervous. There is nothing that she does which betrays her emotions. Nothing, except her eyes, I think. I always see a storm of emotions flashing in and out of those emerald eyes, emotions, that until this day I am still incapable of fully understanding sometimes.

"You wanted to see me?" I inquired. It was quiet inside my apartment. No neighbors to bother me with loud, blasting music. I could only hear the faint hustle and bustle of the city on a Thursday night outside. When she didn't respond, I spoke again, "Camille, I feel like I'm talking to a ghost. You're already as white as one."

"I was just-you-you weren't at school today," she stuttered. She sounded a little nervous, she's almost never nervous. It was fun to watch.

"No, I wasn't. I was with Alec, I was helping him sort out some matters."

"Right, okay. I was just checking up on you to see how you're doing."

"Oh, I'm good. As always," I smiled.

She hesitated for just a moment before asking, "How's your hand?"

"It's pretty alright, actually," I raised my right hand, clenching and unclenching my fist. Then, letting it drop to my side. "It's a little bruised but other than that, it's perfect."

She eyed my fists skeptically. Staring at my knuckles for what feels like forever. Silence had taken over our conversation.

I leaned my back against the cold wall beside the window, I was left looking at her profile. Crossing my arms over my chest. "Were you worried about me?" I asked.

Her sudden intake of breath tells me my question had taken her by surprise. Tucking stray hair behind her ears, she said calmly, "Yes, Magnus. I was worried about you." She took in a deep breath before continuing. "Because the last time we saw each other...," she trailed off. "Well, it wasn't a fond memory of mine. I wanted to make sure you were okay. That we were okay." She said this last bit so quietly I had to strain my ears to catch her words.

And again, there was more silence. I had no idea what to say to that. We had never been upfront with each other before. Indeed, we'd had problems in the past. There were other people in our lives. Guys that Camille bat her eyelashes at to get them to do her a favor, guys she was extra friendly with just because she thinks they're cute. People paid attention to her and she likes that. She likes to be adored. Some girls try to get my attention too, but Camille always manages to scare them away. She doesn't like it on the flip side it seems. But with any problems we had, we deal with them how we always deal with them, we let time consume them. We never discuss our issues or try to fix anything about each other. We were always drifting apart and then drifting back together. But this time, it isn't like that. I feel something different, she acted differently.

"You have to know. That he doesn't mean anything to me. That I have no feelings for him. He was just a distraction," she said.

I rest my head back against the wall and closed my eyes. Her voice, I thought, was such a pleasant sound. I liked hearing her talk.

"Don't ignore me, Magnus. You know I don't like that."

I tried to stifle a laugh as I opened my eyes to see her frowning. Even when she's apologizing, as far as apologizing goes for Camille, she's peevish. I cleared my throat, "I wasn't ignoring you. I'm contemplating my choices."

"And?" she asked impatiently.

I pushed myself off the wall. Stretching my arms over my head while I walked towards my bedroom.

"_Magnus_," her voice rose with a hint of annoyance.

I heard her footsteps growing louder behind me. I turned around abruptly and she accidentally bumped into my chest. She got me off balanced, nearly toppling us both to the ground. "Whoa, a little too soon for that, don't you think?" I held her by the shoulders to steady her.

She grunted but didn't push me away. She looked up at me, still waiting for me to answer.

"See you at school," I said, kissing the top of her head.

"What? You're not gonna send me home?" she asked. "I came here with Izzy, remember? Then, she went out with Alec. They won't be back 'till _Sunday_."

"I'm really tired," I yawned. "And injured," I raised my right hand. A look of guilt spread across her face. I cleared my throat and quickly said, "You can take my car." I cocked my head towards the wall which holds my keys. "But you have to pick me up for school tomorrow."

She frowned.

"Or," I added. "You can spend the night here," I wiggled my eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes and said, "I'll call Walker to come get me."

"Oh, right," I exclaimed. "You have a chauffeur!"

She narrowed her eyes at me while she fished her phone from her jacket. After calling Walker, she proceeded to the door. Turning around to blow me a kiss on her way out.

As her delicate hand curled around the knob and turned it, I asked, "A distraction from what, exactly?"

Her movements came to a halt. She looked at me and smiled, her lips crimson. "Nothing you should concern yourself with," she tried to sound nonchalant, but I could hear her voice crack just hardly. She swung the door open swiftly and let it slam shut behind her.

I sighed. She's avoiding again. She wouldn't tell me how she truly feels, the real reason for her actions. Even though I already know it, I want to hear her tell me herself. I _need _her to tell me herself. Why is she denying her feelings? I ran a hand through my hair. But then again, why am _I_ denying my feelings?

Part II: Out Of Place

Alec could not tell how long he'd been sleeping but the ambience in the room told him that it was already night time. He slowly opened his eyes and he could see light coming from the small opening of the door. Izzy wasn't by his side, he noticed. He got up and walked over to the door. To his dismay, he heard the two voices that he'd wanted to avoid badly. He listened as he ambled to the stairs. His sister was with them as well.

"Why did you bring him here? He doesn't belong here! This is not a place for a murderer!" Robert's voice boomed through the house. Alec wasn't at all affected by those words that he'd heard so many times before he ran away to Magnus. He didn't even flinch. He could hear his mother sniffling and his sister shouted back at Robert.

"He is your son! He's my brother and he belongs in this house."

He noted mentally that Izzy didn't oppose him to being called murderer. He didn't blame her. Alec got down a few steps and peeked. He could see his sister facing Robert who had his hands on his hips, the way he always did whenever he gave them a lecture except for this time, Alec noticed something too bright in Robert's eyes; rage. Maryse meanwhile was sitting on the couch and she looked bewildered. For the first time Alec heard her said,

"Just let him be, Robert."

"_Let him be_?! No. This is my house and I want him out this instant!" He said every word with venom and his voice echoed. Alec knew he needed to get out but he didn't want to leave his sister in that situation.

"No." Izzy countered firmly. Alec could hear her voice shaking and she fisted her hands. Alec quickly got down the remaining steps when he saw Robert moving closer towards his sister and his right hand raise, aiming for the girl's face.

_Smack!_

Alec's head swung to the left as the slap sounded throughout the room. His cheek began to turn red but he didn't show any emotion as he looked at the man he once called father in the eyes. He'd intercepted the blow meant for his sister as he rushed in between the two.

"Alexander…" Maryse weakly gasped. She had been too stunned by the whole situation to say more. Izzy's eyes widened in shocked and she held her brother's elbow as if to support herself but it was more like an assurance for her that Alec was alright. Robert on the other hand was not entirely shocked at what just happened.

"Get out." He harshly said after all the silence.

"I'm leaving." Alec answered calmly. He walked to the door and got out but not after a few steps he heard Izzy calling his name.

"Alec! Wait." He turned around and before Izzy could say anything, he spoke,

"Pack your things, Izzy. You're coming with me to Magnus." Izzy didn't waste a second and obeyed. Alec could hear noises from the inside and he hoped that they could just leave in peace. After a short minute, Izzy emerged with a bag in her hand and another on her back. Alec grabbed the one in her hand and took her other hand in his left unquestioningly. They walked passed the streets and off to Magnus's apartment, oblivious to the rain that was about to fall.

* * *

><p>To say Magnus was surprised was totally an understatement. The sight of two very drenched and soaked figures standing in front of his apartment was something that doesn't happened in every full moon. Although the look on both the Lightwoods' siblings reminded him of the night Alec arrived on the doorstep of his apartment's building for the very first time. He didn't fuss much, he stepped aside and let the two walked in and settled themselves in his warm crib.<p>

"I'll get some hot drinks for you two. You look like you really need it." Magnus registered the siblings when he saw that they were shivering. The sister was a little bit pale while her brother looked flushed on one side of the cheek, Magnus took note.

"Thanks, Magnus." Izzy said a little too shy and quiet.

"No big deal." Magnus shrugged but gave the girl a smile nonetheless. "I'm making one for myself anyway. Meanwhile Alexander, why don't you lead Izzy to the guest room? You two seriously need to get out of those clothes." He said walking to the kitchen.

"Okay. Let me know when you're done." Alec said to Magnus. He then gestured to Izzy to follow him to one of the guest room. He set her things down on the bed and studied her for a moment. Izzy looked shaken but probably due to the rain. After a moment, Alec spoke to her softly,

"Get changed. I'll wait for you in the kitchen." She meekly nodded. Alec gave her some space to calm down and left the room. He entered his own room and locked the door before sitting on the floor and leaning on his bedside; his legs stretched in front him. He got out his phone and made a call. Alec waited for the other person to answer. He heard a soft clicked and a voice whispered his name.

"Alexander?" Maryse quietly asked. Alec gave his mother a few seconds before he answered.

"Is he there?" Alec asked.

Maryse on the other end looked towards the door and subconsciously shook her head when she realized that her action could not be seen. "No. I'm in your brother's room. Alexan-" She was cut off by Alec when he said,

"Izzy's staying with me. She wouldn't want to go back and I suggest you do the same. I know what he did to you. Once you solve it with him, you can come and get Izzy. I'll give you the address." He explained. Maryse took in all his words.

"Alexander, yo-"

"Don't call me that." Alec said a little bit too harsh.

"I'm sorry." Maryse said. "Alec, once we're officially divorced I'm moving to Australia and I'm taking your sister with me."

"Okay." Alec spoke casually.

"Would you like to go with me as well?" His mother asked but instead of answering, he asked back,

"What about the house? He gets to keep it?"

"The house is under my name. I don't know about him but I think he'll be going somewhere in Europe to do his business stuff." Maryse voiced. "I'm not selling the house." She added. Alec thought for a moment before he said,

"That's all then. Call me when you're all settled." Alec was about to hung up when he heard his mother called his name once again.

"Alec." He didn't say anything as he waited for Maryse to continue.

"Alec, are you still there?" She asked.

He sighed and said,

"Yeah. I'm right here."

"Alec. I'm sorry." She sadly uttered. He knew he should say something but he ended the conversation. He placed his phone on the bed and walked out to the bathroom right across his bedroom. Fortunately, nobody heard him entered and locked the door.

He opened the cabinet mirror and took out a small bottle right at the back of every other thing in the cabinet. He sighed heavily, pondering his action. He really needed the distraction and he was tired of all the thinking. So without hesitation, he swallowed two tablets dryly. After he was done, he walked to the kitchen.

Izzy was in her pyjamas, sitting on a chair near the counter while her hands wrapped around a red mug. She was talking with Magnus who were sitting opposite her. Both of them hadn't realized Alec's presence. He just stood where he was and listened to their conversation.

"So how did it go? You two managed to straighten things out?" Izzy asked. Alec guessed that Magnus had nodded because he didn't hear his answer.

"And? Come on, Magnus. You can't expect me to always know everything." Izzy whined. She sounded like her usual self and Alec was grateful for that.

"Don't worry." Magnus spoke. "You'll be able to guess. Although I should add that things aren't going to be the way it used to." Izzy frowned.

"But still." She commented. "You know she was starting to like you. _Liked_ you, liked you." Magnus chuckled at that.

"What are we, twelve? I never heard she said that to me…"

Alec heard a soft slap coming from the two and he mentally visualized Izzy slapping Magnus's arm.

"This is serious." She stressed. At that, Alec tried to maintain his posture as he entered the kitchen. He sat down next to his sister and gave her a warm smile. She returned it.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Magnus questioned while eyeing Alec's still wet form. "You haven't changed your clothes, Alec." Izzy continued. He smiled his lopsided smile at them and grabbed the only mug that wasn't in anyone's hands. The two quirked an eyebrow at the blue eyed as he sipped the hot drink. When Alec looked up, he caught something in Magnus's eyes. He looked to his right and stared at his sister instead, not meeting the other guy's eyes.

"Why don't you go to bed early tonight? It's been a long day and we have school tomorrow." Alec suggested to Izzy in a brotherly tone. He didn't think it was the right timing for her to know about Maryse's plans so he didn't say anything. He would find some other time to break the news to her.

Izzy on the other hand thought that his brother might have something to discuss with Magnus now that she's living with them. She didn't really think of how long she would be staying there nor did she care. Izzy knew it was wrong to leave her mother alone with her father but she was scared as well. Looking at her brother sitting merely a few inches from her made her feel safe and secure.

"Okay. Good night, Alec." Izzy said as she got up from her chair and gave her brother a kiss on his cheek. She made to turn straight to her room but she walked over to Magnus and stood by his side and said,

"Thanks, Magnus. Er…for the drink." She stuttered but got on her tiptoes and gave him a peck on his cheek as well. He blinked, never before seeing that attitude from Izzy but he smiled when she walked away. Both of the males watched as Izzy entered the room and closed the door behind her. They heard a soft click and Alec turned his head facing Magnus.

"So, do I have the grace to know what happened or should I just check your house's security camera?" Magnus grinned jokingly. The other dark haired had his eyes trained on the counter's top as he spoke,

"You're going to break up with her, aren't you?" That totally took Magnus by surprised. But he answered it anyway.

"I think it would the best for both of us." Magnus was half whispering and half talking. He glanced at Alec, noticing his head was still down. "She won't admit her feelings for me and I can't wait for her when I know she'll repeat the same mistake. It'll hurt her more than it'll hurt me." Magnus proceeded.

"And what makes you say that?" Alec asked, this time moving his head upward a little bit but still not meeting Magnus's gaze.

"Because I have you to treat my wounds." Magnus mockingly pout and added a sweet tone at the end of his sentence. This made Alec chuckled a little bit before he retained his previous manner.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you first before bringing Izzy here. It was kind of a haste decision." Alec uttered. "There was a small argument and Robert almost crossed the line." Alec finished. What took him out of surprise was when he felt smooth fingers reaching under his chin and pulling his face so that he was looking at the other person's face. Magnus examined Alec closely, not perceiving the look in Alec's blue orbs.

"He _did_ cross the line." Magnus said when saw the red tint that was turning purplish blue on Alec's cheek. "You've got a bruise there." He said, letting go of Alec's chin.

"He was going to hit Izzy, not me." Alec muttered. A sudden tranquillity settled between them. Magnus didn't know what else to say and Alec kept his peace. They sat there, listening to the sound of rain that hit the windows, matching their rhythms with each fall. The ticking sound of the clock on the wall brought Magnus back to reality.

"It's late. We should get some sleep if we don't want to be late tomorrow." Said Magnus. He grabbed all the empty mugs and dumped them into the sink. Alec got up from his chair and walked towards him bedroom. Well, more like staggering when Magnus noticed this. He also noticed that Alec was apparently swaying and he had to grab the wall to straighten himself. He hadn't moved quite far, it was only after a few steps that his world seemed to spin awfully.

Magnus followed him carefully from behind. He was watching every step that the other black haired took and that's why when Alec's legs failed him; Magnus's arms were already locked around his waist.

"Alec..."

The taller of the two was quite stunned when Alec didn't move or respond. He stayed motionless as Magnus expertly moved him and put his arm on Alec's back and the other under his knees, carrying him to his room like he'd done so many times before.

He laid Alec's still form on the bed gently, brushing off Alec's damp ebony that covered his suddenly pale face when he remembered that Alec hadn't changed his clothes. He stripped the other boy, leaving him only in his underwear and covered him with the blanket. Magnus checked for Alec's temperature and took note of the slight heat that he felt from Alec's forehead. He shook his head, a sign of concern knowing that tomorrow would be a tough day for Alec as he closed the door and walked to his own room. The situation was almost too common for Magnus that when he lied down on his bed, sleep welcomed him almost immediately.

**Tell me what you think! :)**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Chapter 8! Enjoy reading and have a fabulous day. :)**

Chapter 8

Part I: Trying To Cope

The next morning when Magnus woke up, another unfamiliar sight greeted him as he walked to the kitchen, all ready for school. The two Lightwoods were casually having breakfast in their uniforms and they were too immersed in their conversation that Magnus was only notable when he made a sound of clearing his throat. Both the dark haired turned simultaneously and Magnus could clearly make out the resemblance on both siblings if it weren't for the different eye colour.

"Good morning, Magnus." Izzy chimed joyfully. She shoved a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Magnus and poured a cup of coffee for him. "Here you go."

"You made all this?" Asked Magnus. Izzy shook her head and instead pointed at her brother. Alec was sipping a cup of coffee as well. He looked a little bit pale and flushed but there was no sign of sickness visible on his face, not yet Magnus thought.

"Had a good sleep last night?" Magnus purposely asked Alec and watched as his smile changed to a frown and back to a smile once again, missed by Izzy.

"Yeah." Alec lied. The fact that he was thrashing in his sleep last night and woke up drenched from cold sweat was proof that he had a fitful night, not to mention that he didn't remember taking off his clothes or even got to his room. He'll be having a long talk with Magnus once the latter had a chance. Alec was grateful Izzy was there at the moment. He didn't really feel like facing Magnus's wrath early in the morning.

"So, when are you going to tell her?" Izzy suddenly asked. She was looking at Magnus who was downing his breakfast. He seemed to be very hungry for someone lean. Alec didn't really get the topic but Magnus's answer confirmed his prediction.

"After school. I don't want Camille to get distracted." The word distracted doesn't really fit Camille, Alec thought. Izzy nodded her head in slow motion and said,

"Right. Dumping a girl right before weekend is a really great idea." She said sarcastically. Izzy was evidently opposing the break up but Magnus didn't say anything, he just smiled and kept his gaze on his blue eyed.

After breakfast was done, the three walked out from Magnus's apartment and waited for the elevator to come up. Suddenly, Izzy gasped.

"I forgot something in the room! I'll be right back." She rushed in back, leaving her brother alone with a very agitated and annoyed mortal. The instant Izzy was out of sight Magnus grabbed Alec by the wrist and pinned him on the wall next to the elevator. The other guy knew it was pointless to argue.

Magnus didn't expect Alec to relent his action but he didn't let go of his grip. He saw the tint of flush and the bruise that was somewhat fading but still there if you look close enough.

"How are you feeling?" Magnus asked softly, his face too close for Alec's liking. He didn't answer the other guy, his lips were tightly pressed together. Magnus brought his other hand up and felt Alec's forehead.

"Your fever is gone. Let me know if you're feeling worse and I'll take you back here." He said, ignoring the fact at the back of his head that he'd almost said home. Alec kept his quiet and turned his head away from the taller one. Magnus leaned in and brushed his thumb on Alec's cheekbone, tracing the bruise and felt Alec's heartbeat stuttered under his grip on the other boy's wrist, thinking that he'd hurt him.

"You didn't cover it." Magnus continued. Alec opened his mouth to say something.

"Magnus, you don-"

"Got it!" Izzy shouted as she closed the door behind her. She looked towards the two and frowned. Magnus knew that their position would trigger some assumption so he let go of Alec. The situation would have been awkward if the elevator didn't arrive at that point and Alec got in as soon as it opened.

"What was that all about?" Izzy whispered to Magnus since her brother was overly interested with the elevator's button. Magnus gave her a wink and slyly said

"Nothing", leaving the girl baffled even more. The elevator went down to the basement. They got into Magnus's Cadillac and he drove to Institute High.

* * *

><p>Jace roughly pushed the lab's door opened and loudly spoke,<p>

"I need to see Alec Lightwood immediately!" The quietness in the class was broken by the blonde as he replaced it with a dead silent. The professor that stood in front of the class looked somewhat bemused by the sudden intrusion.

"Young man, do you know what your mistake is?" The professor eyed him. Jace gulped before saying,

"Excuse me, professor. May I see Alec Lightwood for a moment, please?" He repeated his sentences with much more manner and attitude. The professor nodded in approval and looked over at Alec who was seated far behind the lab.

"Mr. Lightwood." The professor motioned to the door. "Make it quick." He added as Alec walked passed him and out from the lab. The professor closed the door with a little too much force, obviously annoyed with the disturbance.

"What is it?" Alec asked Jace. The other guy grabbed his shoulder instead and pulled him away from the class and into the boy's washroom.

"What's wrong, Jace?" Alec asked again although there were no sign of trouble on the blonde's face.

"I need your help." He finally said. "I don't know what to get her."

Alec was confused. "What?"

"Clary. It's her birthday soon."

Of course it was. Trust Jace if you wanted to be dragged out in the middle of the lesson for some 'life threatening' problems. Alec glowered at him.

"Seriously Jace? That's your excuse for dragging me out from class?" Alec said irritably. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't hit you right now."

In a swift movement, Jace had Alec in a headlock position. The other guy was disorientated for a moment before he realized what just happened.

"What on earth are you thinking you're doing?!" Alec chocked as his oxygen supply was cut short.

"Shhh…" Jace shushed him and released his grip on Alec once the other was still. He moved to one of the cubicle and gave it a push; it was locked.

"What is it?" Alec whispered as he got to Jace's side.

"I think I heard something." Jace said back in a low tone. "It sounded like…" And a soft sound came from within the cubicle. It was a pained moan and then quickly replaced with sniffling. Jace and Alec looked at each other, both wearing a questioning look on their faces. Jace unconsciously knocked on the door and asked,

"Who's in there?" Alec reached out to stop Jace but it was too late. He didn't think it was appropriate to disturb someone especially when they're taking care of their need. He sent a disapproved look at Jace and shook his head. The other guy just shrugged.

"Are you alright?" Jace asked again to the person in the cubicle. A small voice answered,

"I'm fine." It sounded like a young boy and they assumed it must be one of their juniors. They heard the toilet flushed and the door opened to reveal a smaller figure, about three inches shorter than Jace. The older guys were shocked and surprised at the boy's appearance. His face was very pale, his lips shaking and his eyes were drowsy-like rimmed with tear stained. He was trembling as his hands clutch his stomach too tightly. It was obvious the kid was in pain but Alec was even more surprised when he recognized the boy.

"Nathan?" He was one of the members in fencing team and the boy that he saved from being bullied by Clifford the other week.

"Alec…" The boy weakly wheezed before falling to the ground. Luckily, Jace was fast enough to grab the boy by the shoulder.

"What the-" Jace said as he was shocked with the situation. Alec remained transfixed for a few seconds as he watched the blonde laid the boy down on the floor. Alec wanted to tell Jace that it wasn't hygienic to do so but his body seemed frozen and he couldn't react until Jace said,

"Alec, go get coach or any teacher. Just…I'll wait here." Jace was bewildered as well and he struggled to get his speech right. He watched as Alec ran out from the washroom and left him alone with the unconscious boy on the floor.

Alec ran as fast as he could to the staff room. He'd thought of getting his coach but a foreboding feeling struck him so instead he went to find the discipline teacher, Mr. Park.

Everything seemed to happen so fast, like a mist that faded in a blur. The boy was taken to the hospital and the two seniors that found him were brought as well. They waited anxiously in the waiting hall for the principal, as they were told he would be coming to check on the boy and his family and to interrogate Jace and Alec of what had happened. They didn't say much, they'd just found him in the toilet and then he collapsed.

After the talk with the principal, Alec and Jace sat back in the hall waiting for their transport to arrive. Jace had called Simon instead of his mother because he couldn't find any other way to tell her to pick him up from the hospital without giving her a shock. Alec meanwhile was just thinking of walking back to Magnus's apartment when a small voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Are you Alec?" He saw a small boy standing in front of him, looking no less than eight years old playing with the hem of his plaid shirt.

"I am." Alec simply said.

"I'm Nick." The boy introduced himself. He was looking back and forth between Alec's face and the floor. "Nathan's my brother." He continued.

Alec was loss with words because he stayed silent for a while, not knowing what he should do or say. At last, he said,

"How's Nathan?" The boy looked up then and gave Alec a smile; a very sweet smile that seemed to fit his face perfectly. Alec once knew that kind of smile. It'd been some time since he last saw it.

"The doctor said he'll be fine. He needed some rest and he'll be here for a while." The boy answered. "He asked me to tell you that he says thank you. He's not allowed to move yet and you're not a family member so you can't go in." His smile turned a little sad. Alec quickly shook his head and said,

"That's fine. You tell Nathan to get well soon, alright?" The boy nodded his head enthusiastically which caused Alec to unconsciously smile at him. Nick then ran off to his brother's room down the hall. Before he completely went inside, he turned his head to the older guy's direction and gave another smile. His eyes were smiling as well and that made Alec's heart broke a little. He returned it, not noticing that it looked more like a grimace.

Jace, who was sitting next to him the whole time finally intercepted by asking,

"Are you alright?" Jace noticed the violet blush on Alec's cheek but he didn't say anything about it. Alec sighed. He leaned back into the chair which was too small for his tall frame. He quietly said to Jace,

"My brother died when he was nine." Time seemed to stop and the air seemed to have frozen because nobody could tell how hard it was for Jace to breath. It was unexpected. Is this really happening? He questioned himself. He'd been waiting for Alec to open up to him and now that the time had come, he was finding it difficult for him to concentrate and listen. But listen he did.

"He got hit by a car and knocked his head on the fence. It was immediate. I called for him but he never answered me back…" Alec's voice was trying hard not to break. "I saw him walking on the sidewalk. He was too small, too skinny that people didn't notice him. He got pushed over to the road and that's when the car came. I was there. I remember everything…but I didn't do anything to save him." Alec turned his head and looked up and Jace.

"I left him, Jace. If I didn't leave him, it wouldn't have happened…"

"It wasn't your fault." Jace quietly voiced although he was confused for a moment. Left him? He wrapped his arm around Alec's shoulder, feeling the tremble from the other guy's body. He was surprised when he heard the words that Alec uttered.

"You see, that's where you're wrong." He leaned further to the chair and Jace had to release his arm. "It was my fault."

Jace didn't say anything after that. He let the conversation died and left Alec to his own muse. It took some time for Jace to receive every part that Alec had told him. He couldn't help but felt a little uneasy after knowing the truth. He shook his head, trying to throw away the bad thoughts that occurred in his mind when he felt a sudden weight rested on his shoulder. He looked to his side and saw that the dark haired had fallen asleep and his head tilted on his shoulder. Jace leaned back as well so that Alec would not feel uncomfortable and they both sat there, waiting for the time to pass.

Part II: Holding On To Something

Alec tried to be as quiet as possible when he opened the door. He didn't know what time it was but he knew it was late. Unknown to him, two figures were sitting on the couch in the living room, lit with only the small amount of light from the table lamp on the coffee table, waiting for his arrival. When he turned after locking the door, his eyes widened.

Izzy and Magnus were both staring at him, legs crossed. They certainly looked like they were ganging up on him. Magnus was the first one to speak.

"You might want to think before coming up with a lie." Then Izzy continued,

"Simon told me that Jace had been home hours ago." Alec sighed. Both pair of eyes, black and yellowish-green was narrowed at him. Alec slowly approached them and sat on the opposite couch, contemplating his choice of words.

"Why didn't you call for me? Or Izzy?" Magnus suddenly asked. He looked worried although he was struggling to look irritated at the blue eyed.

"Where did you go, Alec?" It was Izzy's turn to question. She obviously wasn't trying to hide the ire in her tone. Alec wondered when have he started to give in to her.

"I didn't bring you here just so you could team up with Magnus on me whenever you got the chance." Alec said to Izzy. He was trying hard not to look at Magnus. They didn't say anything back. They were waiting for answers.

Alec let out a tired sigh and slumped in the couch. These actions seemed to have an effect on the two as they soften their body postures. Alec took a moment before answering them.

"I went to meet someone and I didn't call because that person gave me a ride home." Alec closed his eyes.

"Don't ignore us, Alec." Izzy said. He glanced at them with one eye.

"I'm not ignoring you. I've answered both of your questions and I'm waiting for the next attack." He said grinning. He didn't miss the exchange of look that Izzy and Magnus shared.

"Who did _you_ meet, Alec?" Magnus asked.

"Maryse." He answered again, simply. That one name was enough to get Izzy's attention, although her focus had been on her brother entirely.

"What did you talk about? How is she? Why didn't you take me as well?" Izzy fired question after question at Alec who was prepared for it.

"She's fine." He said. "Izzy, they're getting a divorce."

Izzy nodded weakly, too surprised to say anything. She did assume they weren't going to stay together that way but divorce? That was out of her thought.

"He's leaving for Europe." Alec continued. He waited for her to say something about Robert but instead she asked,

"What about mother?"

"She's keeping the house. But she's moving somewhere else." Alec looked at Izzy, carefully scanning her expression when he said,

"She's taking you to Australia." Izzy's head shot up, eyes widened at the information.

"No. I don't want to. I'm staying with you." She sounded eager, desperate wasn't really a word for Izzy. She was never desperate.

Alec smiled at her. "I'm not forcing you. You can go if you want. She let you choose."

Izzy let out a relief sigh and looked on the floor.

"We can go back to the house, Alec." She said quietly. Izzy's head was still down.

"Yeah." Alec's answer surprised both Izzy and Magnus. She got up and crossed the distance between them before flinging her arms around Alec, giving him a hug. He returned it. When they broke apart, Alec's eyes shot to Magnus who were staring at him. Izzy pulled away and said,

"I'm calling Simon." Then, she rushed back into the room that she occupied and closed the door.

Magnus didn't talk for a while; he kept his gaze on Alec, scrutinizing him with that what-am-I-suppose-to-do-with-you look. After the whole silence, Magnus spoke.

"How are you feeling?" Above all other things, Magnus thought he should repeat his question that morning. Alec wasn't looking pale anymore, he looked tired.

"I'm fine, Magnus." Alec answered. He avoided looking directly at Magnus. He was diverting his attention from the couch to the lamp to the clock on the wall and even to refrigerator. He looked everywhere except at Magnus. Then suddenly, his eyes shifted back to the male sitting in front him when he heard him asked,

"Are you going back to that house?" Alec shook his head.

"You know I can't." Magnus knew that. He'd just wanted to confirm Alec's words.

"Then what about Izzy?" Magnus asked.

"She's going with Maryse." Alec said in a tone that called no space for argument. Magnus didn't ask further after that. He knew when to stop.

"What's that in your hand?" Alec looked down at his hand. It was a brown envelope.

"Nothing." He answered and then got up. He walked to his room, leaving Magnus alone on the couch. Before he entered, he stole a glance at Magnus and took in the back view of his head. He knew there was a lot more to be said but he didn't feel like talking.

He got in and closed the door behind him. He looked at the file that Maryse gave him, not thinking much before keeping it in his drawer. His mind brought him back to their conversation.

_ "You didn't seem surprised when I told you that we are divorcing." Maryse looked at her eldest and only son. Alec shrugged and replied,_

_ "I guess I've always knew that. After what happened to Max." They loved him so much. _

_Maryse tried to take Alec's hand in hers but he pulled away quickly. "Alexander, I'm sorry."_

_ "Don't. Just don't." Alec said, gritting his teeth. He was trying hard not to snap at his mother. Maryse sighed, defeated. Alec tried to bring up another topic but he couldn't think of any. Thankfully, Maryse spoke first._

_ "I need you to keep something for me. Would you do that?" Alec looked at her._

_ "What is it?" He asked back. She handed him a brown envelope the size of an A4 and saw a court's stamp on it._

_ "This is Max's file case. We sued the person that hit him after you left. The driver was underage and he'd been sent to the juvenile." Maryse took a breath before proceeding. "I can't take it with me and I don't want to leave it in the house in case something happens."_

_She handed the file to Alec. He took it and said,_

_ "Okay." Maryse spoke again,_

_ "Are you coming with me? I'm going after you two have your final exam. I can wait for your graduation if you want." Alec calmly answered,_

_ "I'm staying here. You might want to try and talk things out with Izzy before you take her there. She needs a little persuasion. Australia is not a five hours drive." He got up and left._

Two years ago, he wouldn't think that he'd have the courage to speak with any of his family members. His parents completely blamed him for what happened and Izzy, she kind of lost it for a while…

He knew Izzy would be mad when she found out that she was going anyway with Maryse but Alec did what was right. She couldn't stay here with them forever. He didn't want Magnus to feel burdened. At the thought of Magnus, Alec felt disappointed with himself. He had no right to treat him that way and when Magnus had always been there to support him, he pushed him away.

But Alec couldn't deny that he was scared. Now that the barrier that had always kept him in line was gone the moment Magnus broke up with Camille, he felt that the second he had the chance to cross it, he would.

That's exactly the reason why he was starting to act cold in front of Magnus. He didn't want him or anybody to see through him, not even Jace. He had promised Max and he was determined to keep it.

Jace. He'd told him what happened out of the blue. Alec didn't know why it mattered but when he saw Nathan's brother, he was reminded of his own. And when he was reminded of Max, his mind travelled back to Magnus.

The other guy, the one still sitting on the couch, with his head in his hands somehow was thinking the entirely opposite thing. Magnus certainly didn't know what to make out from Alec's behaviour. He assumed that it was all the family matter that had been making Alec turned cranky and disorientated-that's what he called it. He'd even had the nerve to think that it was because of Jace. Ever since they became _friends_, Alec spent less time with Magnus; not that he cared. He'd never mind how Alec spent his time. So why did it matter now when it didn't matter then?

Magnus let out a small frustrated groaned and walked to his own room. He stopped for a while, standing directly between his door and Alec's, mouthing a quiet _Good Night _at Alec's direction.

When he closed his door, he failed to notice that a pair of black eyes had been watching him silently.

**I know its shorter. I'm sorry. Do review! :)**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks again to manibarilo and Wrongaboutme for reviewing. I really can't say much because my writing is direct and straightforward but I hope you'll enjoy reading it. Have fun with this chapter and I wish everyone a wonderful day! :)**

Chapter 9

Part I: Hard To Resist

A call came. From the school. On a Saturday. Alec knew there was something wrong. He got up quickly and texted Jace, telling him to come over. He didn't want to ask Magnus to send him there, not after last night and Izzy didn't drive her car to Magnus's place.

Jace texted him back. His answer came after a long reply of how Alec never texted him before and that they should celebrate it. He added a smiley at the end after saying "be there in 15".

After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Alec put on fresh clothes and quietly opened his bedroom's door. He peeked outside, looking for any sign of awaken humans in the kitchen and the living room. Found none, he slowly crossed the distance between his room and the front door. His hand were already embracing the knob when a voice said,

"Where are you going?" Alec froze. He was glad it wasn't Magnus but he knew the outcome would be the same. Just on higher notes. He turned around to face his sister. She had her hands on her hips, looking very fresh in the morning.

"I'm going to school." Alec whispered. "The principal called." Izzy's face turned concerned.

"Is it about yesterday?" She asked in a quieter voice than before. Alec just nodded. He said,

"I'm going with Jace. I'll be back by lunch." Izzy nodded her head and watched as her brother disappeared behind the door. She exhaled heavily, glancing at Magnus's door. She needed to think of something to entertain that guy while her brother was out. She knew Magnus would be worried.

Izzy remembered the look on Magnus's face when she opened the door last night. She was confused and perplexed at first but after a whole night of thinking all the possibilities, and trust me when I said Izzy thinks of _every_ possibilities which was possible, she'd come to a conclusion that she herself had yet dared to admit. So instead, she kept her peace. For now.

* * *

><p>Magnus woke up to the sound of his phone beeping madly. He looked at the clock showing 9:30 a.m. He answered his phone without looking at the screen and when he heard the other person's voice, he sat upright immediately.<p>

"Magnus?" Camille.

"Yeah?" He croaked. "Are you there?" She asked.

"I'm listening." He muttered, still sleepy. He heard Camille took a breath before talking.

"I need to talk to you."

"I'm still listening." Magnus said.

"Can we meet?" She asked. "I'm at Earthlings' right now." Magnus took a moment before saying,

"Alright." He hung up. Magnus stood up, stretched himself and lazily strolled to his bathroom. He really didn't feel like meeting Camille, he'd thought that she would take a few days to try and make things right again like any other girl he knew but Camille wasn't any other girl. Magnus was partly glad as well, the sooner they solved this, the sooner both of them could go on.

Once he was satisfied with his not-so-simple-yet-still-casual-look (because that's Magnus I'm writing, Magnus Bane), he walked out and spotted Izzy leaning on the counter in the kitchen.

Izzy's head shot up when she saw him.

"Hey." She said. She made a whole once over look at Magnus and asked,

"Where are you going?" Magnus lied.

"I'm going out for a while to get something from the store. You need something?" Her lips were parted when she shook her head.

Magnus spoke again.

"Tell Alec I'm going out. And make sure he doesn't oversleep. He gets bad headache if he does and you know how _sweet_ he can get with a migraine."

"Oh yeah. Sweet. Very sweet." Izzy emphasized, holding back her laughter. Magnus flashed a smile at her before closing the front door and drove off from his apartment building.

Izzy sighed gratefully when Magnus left. She didn't have to lie to him. She'd been practicing a made up story for Magnus when he finally noticed that Alec was gone.

Izzy tried lying down on the couch, taking a short nap while waiting for Magnus to come back and fire her questions about her brother's where about but she felt something was out of place. Something was bothering her and only Angels know why.

Eventually, after pacing from the living room and the kitchen, running down the purple carpet that was laid on the floor, she decided it was pointless to keep doing that. In the end, she took a nap. On her brother's bed.

* * *

><p>The drive to school was quiet. Alec was looking straight ahead, his posture directly vertical and unmoving. Jace tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, to ease the tension a little bit if not for Alec then for himself.<p>

The dark haired told him what happened. Alec gave him a shorter version of the call he got from the principal and Jace merely nodded. After a while, he couldn't stand the silence so he turned on the radio. Maroon 5's Maps was being played.

After passing a traffic light, Jace made a turn to his left. The faster route to get to Institute High would've been to drive straight on but Jace never passed through that road since he got out from juvenile and got his license. Alec didn't say anything, he didn't seem to mind. He looked dazed and distant for a while.

When Jace stopped in front of the administrative building, he turned to Alec. He didn't get to say anything as the other guy beat him to it.

"You can wait if you want or you can go. I'll call Magnus later." Alec said looking at Jace.

"It's okay. I'll wait for you." Jace honestly replied. He didn't have anything planned on that day anyway; Clary was going out with Jocelyn for a mother-daughter quality time.

Alec looked a little bit relieved at his answer although he couldn't be sure about it. The blonde stared at the black haired as he got out from the car and walked to the principal's office.

Alec knocked before he entered.

"Come in." Said a voice from the inside. He slowly turned the knob and went in. The principal was apparently had been waiting for him. The look on his face was masked with the smile he wore. Alec sat down on the chair facing him.

"How are you, Alec?" Mr. Gray started on.

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking." Alec answered back politely. Mr. Gray nodded his head a few times before he spoke again.

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you on the weekend but this matter needed to be solved immediately." His tone was grave. Alec gulped, waiting for his next words.

"It seems that Mr. Collins, Nathan was feeling unwell because of a certain misconduct," Mr. Gray paused, "done by your fencing coach."

It hit Alec hard. He should've seen it coming. He tried to control his expression because he knew that the principal was studying him thoroughly.

When Alec didn't say anything, he continued.

"Mr. Mortmain, as Nathan said has been giving him this medication to help improve his performance. The drugs are rare and illegal, of course you know that and it caused bad effects, harmful bad effects to the consumer." The principal stared at him. When he realized that he wasn't going to get anything out of Alec, he sighed and let his posture droop.

"You see now Mr. Lightwood, your coach had been charged and sued by Nathan's family and the school are taking early steps to make sure that whether there was any other student that he might've given it to as well." He quirked an eyebrow, indicating that he was giving a chance to the younger male to speak if there was a necessity to. Alec pursed his lips.

"I know you're smart enough to understand this whole situation, Alec. You're not the top student for nothing. What I need you to do now is to cooperate, help me." He dropped the formality and spoke casually with Alec.

Alec stayed silent. When he looked up at his principal, he blinked.

"I'll speak with the whole team on Monday and investigate further into this matter. If there is any, I would immediately come and see you." He voiced. The principal nodded, approving his words. Hesitantly, Mr. Gray continued,

"I'm afraid to break this to you Alec, but since your coach will not be around anymore, the whole club and team are under revocation." That was something that Alec had to digest slowly. The principal leaned forward so that he could look at one of his top grader's in the eyes.

"I'm sorry this had to happen on your final year, Alec. I really do." Alec squared his shoulder and replied compliantly,

"I'm sorry as well, Mr. Gray. I'll take my leave then." He got up and walked out. Mr. Gray simply nodded, knowing that making the boy stay longer would probably do more harm than what was already damaged. The school treasured the fencing team and one of its main reasons was because of the prodigy named Alexander Lightwood. To miss the chance of witnessing his talent for the last time was regrettable. The brown-haired principal could only shake his head in disappointment.

* * *

><p>Magnus arrived half an hour later and saw Camille occupying the table next to the window. Her blonde hair stood up amongst many heads in the café, shimmering under the sunlight that hit the glass.<p>

She looked up when she saw him but she didn't smile. Magnus thought she looked angelic for a moment, if it weren't for the crimson coloured lipstick she wore. He sauntered straight to her, deciding not to order anything so that he could leave whenever he felt like.

Magnus noticed that someone else was with Camille because there was another phone, not hers on the table. Before he got the chance to ask, Camille responded,

"Lily's here with me." That made Magnus narrowed his eyes a little bit. He sat down nonetheless, crossing his long legs like he always does. He knew that they were cousins, Lily and Camille. It was hard to ignore their identical blonde hair, although Camille's hair was straight and Lily's was wavy at the end.

"You two having a girls' day out?" Magnus casually asked. He wasn't feeling awkward with Camille even though they weren't longer a couple but he couldn't help feeling that Camille was seeking after something.

"Yeah." She said, sipping her hot white coffee. She put the cup back down and spoke,

"We're going shopping after this. Wanna join us?"

Magnus simply shook his head and answered,

"Nope. Got a plan." He partly lied. He was still thinking about talking to Alec when he got back. "What is it you want to talk about?" He asked. Camille sat straight in her chair, registering the serious tone that Magnus used.

"We're still friends, right?" She quietly asked. Normal people would've sounded like they were asking or even pleading but when Camille said it; she said it like the answer didn't even matter. There was no right answer to her questions, even the straightforward ones.

"Why shouldn't we be?" Magnus countered back. That was the only way he knew how to respond to her. At the corner of his eyes, he saw a glimpse of shadow walking towards them. And then he heard a softer but higher pitch voice greeting him.

"Hello, Magnus." Lily cheerfully smiled at him. "It's been so long."

"Two years." Magnus said to her. She used to attend to Institute High. If you might recall, she was Alec's ex-girlfriend. The whole ordeal that happened to the Lightwoods was what that had brought them apart. At least that's what people thought.

"How's…everybody?" She carefully asked. Magnus caught the slight hesitation in her question but he answered her anyway.

"Fine. And you?" She blinked. "Fine as well." There weren't much difference between the two girls, both had the same blonde hair and pale white skin that seemed to match their eyes and made them looked even more appealing.

Magnus turned his head back to Camille. He wanted to get out of there as soon as he could but he didn't show it. He sat there, as relaxed as he could and said to Camille,

"If there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave." Camille quickly got up and opened her purse, taking out her car keys.

"Wait here. I have something for you." She said. "It's in the car." And then she left, leaving the two people who were trying not to feel awkward. Lily broke the silence first.

"Ermm…I heard from Camille that Alec moved in with you." Magnus gave her a nod. She was fiddling with her nails.

"Is he seeing someone?" She asked again.

"Why do you want to know?" Magnus's tone was friendly; he wasn't trying to worsen the atmosphere between them.

"Just curious. I bet he's not over _that_ someone." Lily gave him a knowing look but she didn't say anything else. Magnus didn't grasp what she meant so he answered back,

"Oh, he's totally over you. I'm sure about that." Her eyes widened slightly, just slight enough to show that she wasn't expecting that.

"You mean he told you?" Magnus was completely confused at her statement. They didn't get to unravel their conversation because Camille came back with a small box wrapped in bright red.

She handed it to Magnus who took it gratefully.

"Take it as an early birthday present." She smiled. Magnus gave her a small hug and peck her cheek, thinking that that was going to be the last time they were ever going to acknowledge each other again.

He said his gratitude and waved them goodbye. Only when he got to his car he remembered about Lily's words. Told him what exactly?

Part II: The Gist Of Life

Jace was leaning on the hood of his car when Alec rushed out from the administrative hall.

"Is everything alright?" He asked attentively while looking at the dark haired, searching for any sign of troubled on his face.

"I'll tell you in the car." Alec replied. They both got in and Jace drove out from the school compound.

"So, what happened in there?" Jace asked again. Alec didn't hesitate to answer him. Jace deserved to know since he was a part of the whole mess.

He told him everything about his talk with the principal. Almost everything. He didn't linger on the drug subject.

"You mean we're done now? The whole team?" Alec nodded. Jace looked genuinely disappointed and saddened knowing the fact that he will no longer be able to practice fencing. He enjoyed the whole thing but what made the experience more priceless was that he could spent time knowing Alec.

"I guess that's it then." Jace sighed. "How are you going to tell everybody?"

Alec shrugged. "I really don't know." He slumped further in the seat.

Jace looked at his side and smiled encouragingly at the blue eyed.

"You know you don't have to do this alone, right? Just say it and I'll be there for you." He said sincerely. They both smiled.

"Where are we going?" Alec raised an eyebrow when Jace made a turn the opposite way.

"I'm going to take you for a drink." He said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Besides, I haven't had breakfast when you told me to come."

Jace drove them to Taki's. They ate their breakfast and talked about school. One of the topics was about Jace's grade.

"I think I might have to repeat next year." He said mournfully. "My results are failing me."

"There's still time until our second examination." Alec replied. "You just need to work hard that's it." Jace stared at him as if he'd said something bizarre.

"That's easy for you to say. I need to keep up to two years' worth of lesson. And I don't have a brain like yours." Jace scowled.

Alec quickly said,

"If you want I can help you." The blonde looked up.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Alec shrugged. "Why not. We can stay in the library after school since we don't have to train anymore." His voice dropped a little when he mentioned training. Jace quickly intercepted,

"Or we could go to my house. You can teach me Algebra and I can make you the best meal you will ever have, as exchange."

Alec raised a brow. "You cook?"

"I do. Surprising huh?" Jace said, grinning. "Don't you cook? Or Izzy?"

"Don't even mention about cooking in front of Izzy. The last time I tasted her omelette, well…let's just say that I experienced a whole week of stomach ache and fever." Alec shuddered, remembering the past.

Jace laughed at that. "It can't be that bad."

Alec rolled his eyes. "Wait till you get the chance to see her cook. And then you'll think about it twice." He let out a small laugh.

After their done, Jace sent Alec back to Magnus's apartment.

"Thanks again, Jace. For everything." And Alec meant it. The blonde was taken by surprised when he heard them. Those words seemed to be too much for him when he'd done nothing, he thought. But then he realized what Alec had meant. He smiled.

* * *

><p>Magnus sighed. He looked at the seat next to him; the small red box given by Camille was lying still on it. He glanced out the window car, gazing at his apartment's building. He unintentionally let out a sigh. He must've learnt it from Alec.<p>

He drove his Cadillac into his parking spot and took the elevator up. In his hands were several plastic bags filled with things he'd grabbed from the store after he went to meet Camille. Izzy would suspect him if he returned empty handed. When he reached the top floor, he stepped out and opened his apartment's door.

Magnus was taken aback with the sight that greeted him. Izzy was tearing up. She was sobbing heavily and her head was nuzzled on her brother's shoulder.

Wrapped in Izzy's arms was Alec, standing stoic from where Magnus was looking at him. His back was facing the door so Magnus didn't know whether Alec was crying as well.

"What happened here?" He asked, surprised. Obviously, the sight of the two siblings would even made the neighbours curious, if Magnus had one.

Alec turned his head slowly to the other guy, seemingly unsurprised with the sudden appearance of his friend while he urged Izzy to stop her weeping.

"Izzy's overreacting." Alec finally said when Izzy didn't seem to subdue her tears. That caused Izzy to glare with her puffy eyes at her brother and she unconsciously stopped her crying.

At the light tone in Alec's speech, Magnus reckoned that there was nothing critically serious happened but he still acted his caring manner towards Izzy.

He strolled over to the two and pushed Alec aside by his shoulder, gracefully but effectively which caused Alec to lose his coordination and stumbled a little, not forgetting to carve a shock look on his face. Izzy yelped when she felt her brother's body was pushed away but gasped even more when it was replaced with Magnus's long arms around her, the plastic bags included.

"Shhh…it's okay." He said soothingly, as if coaxing Izzy like she was a child. "You're brother doesn't get you, does he? He doesn't care about anybody but himself."

Izzy giggled a little, Magnus felt a small vibration coming from her and he smiled as well. They were playing of course; joking around acting like Alec was the outsider.

"Now tell me, Isabelle. Who had the nerve to make this young lady cried?" Magnus asked in his serious tone which caused Izzy to chuckle even more. "Was it Simon? Or one of the boys at school? Or did you fight with Clary?"

Izzy shook her head at every question and answered,

"Alec did this to me." Magnus pulled away a little bit and let out a faked dramatic gasp as he looked at the other dark haired and released the girl, changing his posture with his arms perfectly on his hip bones as he freed his hands from the plastic bags.

"Now, young man. I would've never thought that you would go so far as to make your own sister cry." He said in a yet another funny tone and Izzy couldn't hold back her laughter. It rang clearly throughout the apartment and Magnus felt a small pride crept in him seeing that he was successful to stop Izzy's crying.

Alec narrowed his brilliant blue eyes at his friend indicating he was playing along, his brows furrowed closer as he spoke,

"What? Are you going to send me to my room next?" Izzy was clutching her stomach at the scene before her. She was laughing hard at the two males. When she finally calmed down, she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and looked at Magnus.

"Alec has something to tell you." She said innocently, avoiding the raging gaze from her brother that she knew was aimed at her at that moment. So she swiftly moved away and locked herself in her room, unknown to the two that she continued her quiet sobbing while she texted her boyfriend about it.

"What actually happened?" Magnus asked, his brow raised. Alec let his gaze linger on the taller guy when he uttered,

"Nothing." That made Magnus felt a little agitated, although he wouldn't admit it. He'd somehow guessed the other guy's answer before Alec had even said it. To think that he was right was somehow making him even more confused and irritated at the same time.

"Seriously Alec, what is it?" He pushed with a hard stare at Alec and crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you want me to force you?" Magnus asked again.

Alec wasn't looking at him. The blue eyed wasn't meeting his eyes and he felt even more saddened at that. What had he done wrong? Magnus mulled. Then suddenly, out of the blue he asked the one thing that had been bothering him. Magnus didn't know why it mattered unexpectedly and what had actually driven him to ask Alec that question.

"Is this about Jace?" Alec's head shot up straight to meet Magnus's gaze. His face was showing exactly how he felt, bewildered and confounded.

"Why is it suddenly about him?" Alec asked back. He noticed that Magnus was wearing almost the same expression as he was, although a little bit lacked in the persistent. He waved his hands sluggishly at Alec and lazily said,

"You know what? Just forget it. You're not going to tell me anyway." He picked up the things he bought and place it on the counter. Then, he walked over to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He got out a mineral bottle and bottomed up. All the time Alec was watching him until he asked,

"What's that supposed to mean?" They locked gaze, both of them rooted on the plane that they stood on, neither wanting to admit defeat in their silent war when Magnus finally blinked his eyes and sighed.

"I'm going back to bed and maybe try to at least wake up on the right side." He smirked halfheartedly. The next second, Magnus was completely gone as he entered his bedroom and Alec was left standing solely in the living room.

* * *

><p>Jace prodded the baked beans and fried fries in his plate. After a long deal of thinking, he pushed aside the plate as his final decision was made.<p>

"Honestly Si, I'm not hungry." The blonde was in Simon's kitchen, sitting at the counter while the brown haired was busy preparing himself what he called 'weekend meal' and had offered some to Jace. But the blonde wasn't lying; he just had his breakfast with Alec.

"You know, I am quite shock to see you're being friends with Alec." Simon voiced as he chewed on his fries. "I tried longer than you did and I'm not as close as you two are!" He practically exclaimed. Jace grabbed one long golden fries and pointed it at the spectacled boy.

"That's because you're dating his sister." He popped it into his mouth. Simon brought his eyes up towards a pair of golden ones, away from his plate when he gulped and asked in a quieter tone,

"Did Alec say that?" He sounded scared and ashamed, Jace noted. He shook his head at his friend who seemed relieved at his answer. "I assumed."

When Jace thought they were just going to sit there comfortably enjoying the serenity, Simon let the fork that he was holding dropped from his hand and it clattered as it hit the plate. He brought his head up sharply and said to the blonde,

"Oh right! There's a mail for you." Simon got up and walked to the front door, leaving Jace alone before he returned with a brown envelope that has Jace's name and Simon's address on it. "I think it's for your…you know." He handed it to Jace.

The blonde took it, not missing the slight pause in Simon's sentence. He had a look over at the envelope and sighed when he saw the familiar court stamp on the edge of the wrapping.

"Thanks." Was all he said to Simon who was back to finishing his food and saw a small nod for him. When he got sent to the boys' home, Simon's mother had done her best to help him and his mother. They had been the one solving and managing things for the Herondales. Even when Jace got sued, Elaine didn't hesitate to help him through the ordeals. That's why when mails arrived for Jace or Cecily, they would be sent to Simon's house. It was just next door.

"Do you know what happened to the person I hit?" Jace locked his gaze with Simon's when he voiced out the question. The brown haired could see a flash in Jace's orbs; it was small and it faded almost immediately as it occurred but it was there.

"No. I don't." He finally answered after a torturous long seconds of silence. "Mother might know. She handled everything. Why?" Simon inquired. Jace had never mentioned about the accident before, not to him. It was a shock for him when Jace was suddenly talking about it. Jace shook his head at him and said,

"Nothing."

After half an hour, Jace went back to his home and plopped down on his bed. In his right hand were the mails for either him or Cecily. He went through one by one until he reached the familiar brown envelope. He looked at it, with a tint of uneasiness and disdain mixed. He had a foreboding feeling whenever he thought about it.

He ruffled his hair and the golden strands were now a messy clump on his head.

"It's impossible. It just has to be impossible." He mumbled to himself, pushing away the thought that lingered too long in his mind for his liking. He sat up and scooted to his desk beside his bed and placed the envelope in between his books on the table. The brown letter remained there, the opening still glued and held in place as it held no sign to be open anytime soon. No one thought that soon would come a lot faster.

**So what do you think? Should I drag things and events onward or should I just get it going and have you guys wait in suspense. *Insert a small evil smirk (If you know what I mean)**

**Let me know what you think! :)**


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello TMI's world best fans! I'm trying to figure out new ways to greet whoever read this. :)**

**Thanks to my loyal reviewers, Wrongaboutme and manibarilo for giving me your thoughts and I just realized that a guest left a review as well. Thank you whoever you might be. :)**

**And to answer my last author's note, I think I'm going to take things slow and in pace so that you(readers) can enjoy it even more, I hope! So carry on reading and don't forget to review!**

Chapter 10

Part I: Puzzle Pieces Surfaces

On Monday, the day that plainly most students hate and most teachers loath could not be any more challenging than it already was for a certain young man. Not only was it a _Monday_ and the fact that it was raining nonstop which added to the annoyance of that certain soul, but also it was a fated day for him to break a devastating news.

It wasn't easy; he'd been through many other things before which didn't even compete to that particular crisis but he was still a human. A human with a heart and feelings that augmented the burden that he felt. But he wasn't alone. Another soul was walking beside him, guiding him through every step that he took not only on that day but many more that they would share.

_Sadly, the days were counting. The times were passing like day and night and it wasn't long until the past revealed itself. _

Alec sighed gratefully and looked at Jace. The other guy was looking at him as well with a small smile tucked at the corner of his lips, the smile that started to make Alec felt a little bit at ease. He beamed back at the blonde and unexpectedly gained himself a wink from Jace.

"You did well." Jace patted his shoulder. "There was no better way to tell them than how you did."

Alec curled his lips even more. He'd done it. He'd told his whole team and dismissed them for the very last time.

There were frowns and scowls but they knew it wasn't the end of the world so they took a step forward, moving on. Jace had been a great help, for even if he was only a member for a short while, the other students had managed to secure a strong bond with the new guy. He'd guided Alec and the rest of the group listened well. Some may not get over it very well yet, but only time could heal wounds.

_Scars remained though. As a reminder so that it would never be forgotten._

As Alec went to see the principal, Jace waited for him. He sat outside the office and he never once thought of leaving. He didn't know why he was feeling obliged to Alec, as if he should do everything in his power to keep the dark haired safe and no harm would even dare to befall on him; excluding the fact that he was currently skipping classes.

He'd never felt that way for Simon, he eventually but ashamedly thought. Jace had known the brown haired longer than he knew Alec and he thought that the connection they had for fencing was what that had brought them closer. But now when that option was unusable, Jace felt even more drawn to the blue eyed. And he couldn't get any happier with the fact that he was able to help Alec even if it wasn't much.

The blonde's head shot up when he heard the door opened and he grinned slyly when he locked eyes with Alec. The other boy looked a lot calmer and relieved, that was until he saw the blonde.

"Jace!" Alec was visibly shocked. "I told you to go back to class. What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you of course." Jace replied with an innocent look on his face. Without wasting a moment, Alec grabbed him tightly yet gentle by the arm and hauled him out from the administrative building and towards their classrooms hall.

"You need to focus Jace." Alec said with a stern voice. "If you really want to graduate this year, you need to start paying extra attention and not missing even one lesson." He continued as he dragged the shorter guy across the building and towards the hall.

"I thought you were going to help me?" Jace asked with a ridicule look on his face. Alec rolled his eyes at that statement.

"Obviously." He muttered instead. "Now go. Before you miss the whole class." Alec made a shooing motion with his hands. They had stopped walking and were standing in front of Alec's locker. The ebony haired took out a few books and gaped when he saw the blonde still standing next to him. Before he could say anything, Jace spoke first.

"You know, if I had a brother, I would imagine him exactly like you." Jace faked a shudder. "Only a little more sassy like me." Jace missed something that crossed Alec's face when he spoke but as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

"Then you better get going or I'll make your wish comes true." Alec said, shutting his locker close and not looking at Jace.

"Alright, alright." The blonde held up his hands as if he were surrendering.

"I'll see you after school, Alec." He shouted further as he stormed towards his classroom.

Alec didn't bother to shout back, he'd be in trouble if he did. Instead, he let his eyes droop a little and walked soundlessly to his class.

_Brother. Why does it hurt when it's not supposed to?_

* * *

><p>Magnus tried very hard not to whack the spoon he was holding on the table. It was lunch time and seated on their regular table in the centre of the cafeteria was him, Clary and Simon. Izzy was still lining up for her food and Camille was nowhere to be seen. Magnus concluded that she must be having lunch with the cheer team now that they weren't a thing anymore.<p>

What made Magnus almost making a scene was when he'd asked the other two occupants on the table about Alec and Jace. The question was pretty simple; he'd said "Where are Alec and Jace?" towards the two. However, the answer from the brown-haired was what that had made him promptly lost his composure.

"They're still having their final fencing team meeting. Didn't Alec tell you?" Simon asked, unknowingly sparked an annoyance in Magnus.

"Final meeting? What's that supposed to mean?" Magnus inquired back, attempting to hide his anger. Clary raised her eyebrow at him.

"They're cancelling the club, Magnus. The whole school knows about it like yesterday." Clary friendly answered him with a smile but that didn't make Magnus felt any better. He was about to say something more when Izzy came and settled down her tray of food on the table.

"Hey." She greeted the group. She noticed that Magnus was frowning and the other two was somewhat looking unsure and guilty. Her smile quickly dropped from her face when she asked them,

"What's wrong?" At that, Magnus sharply turned at her with a look that portrayed betray and unjust. He spoke to her,

"Is it true? The fencing team is disbanding?" Izzy tilted her head to the side and widened her eyes.

"You mean Alec didn't tell you that day?" Izzy asked back.

"He told me nothing." Magnus muttered under his breath.

He could barely contain his emotion at that moment so he got up quickly which almost made Izzy stumbled backwards if she hadn't grabbed the chair. The tall guy stormed away from the table, leaving his lunch and friends behind until a small hand grabbed him by the arm before he made to the door.

"Magnus!" Izzy called him and he turned to see his friend's sister holding him in place. "Where are you going?" She asked, her face frowned with concern.

"I'm going to see Alec." He was about to move again but Izzy kept her hold on Magnus's arm and tugged him towards her.

"Right now?" Asked Izzy. "They're having their final meeting Magnus and you don't want to interrupt them." Izzy persuaded. Magnus looked like he was pondering about something. He stared at Izzy and asked,

"That was the reason why you were crying that day." Magnus wasn't asking, he was stating. Izzy nodded, not trusting herself to lie to her brother's friend. It was partly true. The other half of it was because of the drug and she was crying out of relief when Magnus saw them that day.

Magnus was clearly still unsatisfied with the fact that Alec didn't told him about it. Izzy chose her words carefully before she spoke again to the Asian-looking guy.

"Look Magnus, I really don't know why Alec didn't tell you about it but I know that you know better and Alec must've had his reasons." She looked at him with a little tint of sympathy. She could see that Magnus was holding back and if she was in his position, she would be as irritated as he was.

She gulped and continued,

"I don't know what's going on between you and my brother but I know that you care for him." The last part of her sentence was in whisper. She stared at the floor and muttered loud enough for him to hear,

"You know him best Magnus and I hope it stays that way." And with that, she released her hand from Magnus's arm and walked back to her peers at the table.

Izzy didn't need to turn her head to know that Magnus was staring at her. The dark haired guy was even more confused at her words and she wasn't surprised when she felt a hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around so that she was facing the owner's hand.

What got her really stunned was the look in Magnus's eyes as he said,

"Please, Izzy. No more riddles. God…I don't even think I know him anymore." He sighed exasperatedly and rubbed his face very un-Magnus like. Izzy held his hands again, this time giving it a slight squeeze and an understanding smile.

"I'll tell you everything when school ends, alright. Right now I just want you to calm down and eat lunch with me, okay?" He weakly nodded and they walked back to their table, both ignoring Clary's and Simon's gaze. Magnus closed his eyes tightly before revealing his yellowish-green orbs and the look from before were gone. Untraceable.

* * *

><p>The last period for that day was Literature. Our main protagonists; Alec, Magnus and Jace were siting not too far away from each other. Magnus was in the middle while Alec was on his right and Jace was on his left. When the bell rings, Magnus got up abruptly yet nimbly and was ready to approach the other dark haired. He stood directly facing his housemate and calmly said,<p>

"I need to have a word with you, Alexander." The pair of cerulean eyes shot up and Magnus couldn't help but to stare back. None of their gaze wavered, at least until Jace broke their trance.

"Hey Alec, I'll wait you by the car." The blonde wave the pair goodbye and walked out of the classroom, leaving them completely alone as other students and the teacher had long left the space.

Magnus quirked an eyebrow at the shorter male. It was a demand; a sign of urgency for answer to the unspoken question.

Alec licked his lips before he carefully said,

"I'm going to Jace's to help him with his study. Don't wait for me." Alec hadn't meant anything to cross or to even upset Magnus with his reply. But the last four words were exactly what it needed to add to Magnus's already wounded feelings.

Alec made a motion to walk away and when Magnus didn't react, Alec hesitated for one second. But then he made up his mind and quickly strolled out from the classroom. He was too caught up with his musing he didn't hear the sound of another footstep catching up to him in the hall. The next thing he knew, he was clasped flushed against another body as he was whirled around and Magnus had his arms wrapped on Alec's torso.

They fit perfectly that way, with Alec's chin just right on Magnus's shoulder and the other guy's chin right on top of Alec's head. To say Alec was shocked was an understatement. He could felt both of their heartbeats pounding together although he ashamedly acknowledged that his was a lot quicker.

"I'm sorry about what happened to the fencing team." Magnus whispered in his ear which made him shivered a little bit. Alec could only managed himself to nod and when Magnus pulled away, the heat was lost between them and Alec tried so hard to keep his face from showing disappointment.

"I'll wait for you to come home Alec." Magnus kindly said before he winked and walked the opposite way. Alec turned and walked his own direction and couldn't help the small curl on his lips when he reminisce Magnus's word. _Home._

Part II: When Things Seem To Fit

Alec's legs were folded underneath him as he was sitting on the floor of Jace's bedroom. The said owner of the room was however, standing with his back hunched as he rummaged desperately through his bag looking for that one particular book; algebra. He sighed exasperatedly when he couldn't find it and dropped his bag down on the floor unceremoniously.

"When was the last time you saw it?" Alec asked again, for who knew how many times. He wasn't trying to agitate the blonde, it was far from that. The ambience had gotten to stress up for both of them so Alec thought that it was only right for him to break through the heavy tense.

"That's the thing." Jace flung his hands above his head. "I didn't bring it today, remember?" Alec recalled when Miss Lind had asked for Jace's homework and the blonde replied that he'd left them at home. Alec cautiously got on his feet and walked over to Jace's table. Jace meanwhile had flopped on his bed and mumbled,

"I give up." He was lying on his back. He squint an eye at Alec and spoke again,

"I think I'm going through food coma state." Alec couldn't help but chuckled at that statement. Jace was true with his words when he said that he was going to cook for Alec. They both had eaten before going up to Jace's room and Alec sincerely thought that Jace could even become Izzy's cooking tutor.

He looked around the table, searching through the stacks of books and other random things on it before his eyes caught something. He looked skeptically at it and turned to Jace before his hands reflexively reached out to grab it.

"Aha!" He exclaimed. "Here it is. Our precious Algebra." Alec said with a grin on his face. Jace didn't respond. His right forearm was covering his eyes and Alec thought that he'd fell asleep.

The bed dipped a little when Alec sat on it and copied Jace's pose.

"I really think we should cut down on the food next time." The taller one said in a suggestive tone. Jace's head turned facing Alec's side. "We might end up not studying at all." Alec joked.

A snort sounded from Jace. "You didn't eat much, Alec."

"And I'm not the one who needs to study." Alec retorted back. He intentionally smirked. Jace saw it and gave a light punch on Alec's arm. He closed his eyes again and they settled in silence, only their constant breathing sounded through the room.

"Alec?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think what our coach did was right? Giving Nathan the drug?"

Jace turned his head so that he could look at Alec. The dark haired eyes were closed and his arm was covering his face so Jace didn't discern Alec's facial hardened for a moment.

He didn't answer him straight away. Jace kept his gaze on the other guy even though he couldn't see him. After a long pause, Alec said,

"It was wrong." And silence took over again but not for long as Jace asked quietly,

"He made you take it too, didn't he?" Alec's blue orbs were wide opened before Jace had even finished his sentence. The rate of his heartbeat increased dramatically yet Alec managed to disguise it.

"You don't have to tell me anything, Alec." Jace carried on. "I kind of put the things together." Alec's silence only made it seemed to be true. He stared at the ceiling when he spoke,

"What gave me away?" Alec's voice croaked a little bit at the end but Jace didn't appear to notice. They were talking in a very low tone that made the mood sounded serious yet no less casual.

"The first couple of months you trained me. I thought I was being delusional because not even Izzy or Magnus saw it but then I knew something was wrong." All of the sudden, a clear laughter rang throughout Jace's room. Alec's figure shook with the remnants of his laugh.

"You always surprise me, Jace." The blonde couldn't help but chuckled as well.

"I wish I could see through my studies so that I'd understand them better." Jace said, adding a false mournful tone in his speech. A sort of warmth crept up Alec's chest when he heard what Jace had uttered. He finally grasped what it meant to let someone in. All the time since Max's death, he'd built a wall around him so that nobody could get any closer than just to know his name. Even with Magnus and his sister, Alec had always been cautious and careful not to let them see through him.

But you see, things were different when Jace came storming in, literally the first time Alec saw him on the first day. The blonde held nothing but a mystery, so much like him but Jace wasn't careful, he wasn't prudent for he had immediately let Alec in. What the dark haired found was something he'd never thought would be possible.

Even for Jace, he felt almost complete whenever he was with Alec. The presence of the male sitting next to him gave a sort of secureness, as to what Jace had yet to figure out but he knew one thing for sure; he'd owned himself the other half of him.

"Alec, say something." Jace coaxed. The dark haired had gotten up and was sitting straight with his feet dangling off the bed.

"Are you going to tell on me?" asked Alec. The bed squeaked a little as Jace brusquely sat up and faced Alec.

"Why would you think that?" Jace asked back, his voice filled with disapproval. Alec wasn't looking at him which made Jace grabbed him by his shoulders and turned Alec's upper body so that the blonde could look at him clearly.

"I won't say anything about it even if you don't make me promise to keep it as a secret." A small smile graced Jace's lips as if to make a point. He added on, "I told you, you're like my brother from another mother."

A glint of hurt passed Alec's azure gaze and it quickly vanished. Again, Jace mentioned the word that made Alec unknowingly cringed inwardly. His chest made a sickening sensation as if it was pricked with a needle and it was hard to breath for a moment.

He got up curtly and said,

"I think we should start on our homework first." Jace merely nodded as he observed Alec's manner. They both got out their books and let the time passed as they were engulfed with their studies.

* * *

><p>A few hours passed before Alec noticed that it was almost night time. The sun had yet to dawn but he didn't want to overstay his visit so he told Jace that he needed to leave before making sure that Jace finally understood the last question in his book-which took an impressive amount of time considering the few ones before were much longer.<p>

As they both walked down and towards the front door, no words were exchanged but it didn't feel wrong. Knowing Alec, Jace had long learned that Alec wasn't much of a talker. When they passed the living room, Alec saw Jace's mother siting on the couch reading a book.

"Mother!" Jace greeted his mom. "When did you come home?" Cecily's head shot up when she heard her son's voice and gave him a loving smile that only a mother could give.

"I've been home for over an hour. I was wondering why you were so quiet up there." She said, giving him a knowing look. She looked past Jace and saw Alec.

"Hello, Mrs. Herondale." Alec politely spoke.

"Mother, this is Alec." Jace made a motion towards his friend.

"Just call me Cecily, dear. It's nice to meet you." A look of recognition was shown on Cecily's face when she stood up and walked closer towards the dark haired.

"Have we met before, Alec?" She asked in her motherly tone. Alec shook his head and look at Jace before answering Cecily,

"I don't think so." Cecily nodded her head slowly before saying,

"I guess it must be my memories playing trick with me." She smiled again. "Would you like to stay for dinner? I'm making steak for tonight." Alec thought for a while about how Jace had gained his cooking skill and deduced that it must've been from his mother. He cut his thinking short and answered yet again in a respectful tone,

"Thank you, err… Cecily. But I have to decline." And as if asking for rescue from his friend, Alec shot a glance at Jace who caught it and smirked playfully back at him.

"Well, I guess it is rather late but we can make sure that he'd stay next time, don't you think so mother?" Jace teasingly look at Cecily and from behind, he wrapped his arms around her shoulder, giving her a hug. Cecily flashed that smile of hers to her son and nodded, agreeing.

"You can't say no next time, buddy." Jace winked and stuck out his tongue. Alec didn't know how to respond to that so he simply gave a thumb up at them and gestured them goodbye as he walked to Magnus's apartment.

He'd said no when Jace offered to drive him back to Magnus's place in excuse that he was going somewhere else before heading there. Alec needed the time alone; his head was so messed up due to the overstrained caused by the infliction of repeating the same thing several times to Jace. He'd almost gotten _himself _confused when he realized that his explanation was all jumbled up. He sigh just thinking about it.

The other reason was because he was on his way to Magnus. He couldn't keep avoiding him, not when they were living together and Magnus's action when they last met had left him wordless yet blissed. With a made up mind and a resolute heart, Alec counted his steps as he travelled back _home_.

* * *

><p>The lights were off but the television screen was on. There were remains of Chinese take-away containers and a few soda cans littering on the floor. The couch however was empty, void of its usual manner beholding an occupant or two.<p>

Alec used the small amount of rays from the tv to manoeuvre his movements. He reached over to the outlet and flicked the kitchen switch on. His pupil dilated for a moment before they adjusted to the new lightings. His eyes roamed around the room, looking for that certain someone.

His search however was negative in result as the living room was vacant. Absentmindedly, he quirked his left eyebrow. The time could still be considered early for a school night so Alec pushed away the thought that both Magnus and Izzy were asleep.

He quietly strolled over to Izzy's room; the second door after the kitchen. When he opened them, he was surprised to see it empty with the lights on. That got him even more curious. If they were out, why would there be take-aways on the floor?

Just then he heard a small murmur coming from the room next to Izzy's. He walked slowly, trying to make his footsteps as light as feather but when Alec caught a mixture of chuckles sounding from his room, he rushed towards it and pushed the door opened with a little too much force. But who could blame him?

"What are you two doing?!" Alec said in disbelieved. Lying on his king sized bed on their stomach was no other than Izzy and Magnus. They were still in their fit of giggles and facing them was Izzy's laptop. The monitor was on, illuminating the faces of the two beings on the bed who were still entranced to the screen.

"Why are you watching in the dark?" Alec was about to flick the switch on when Izzy said,

"Don't!" She got up and pulled Alec towards them, not forgetting to shut the door behind her. She peeled off Alec's bag from his hand and motion for him to get on the bed as well. Magnus was lying on his side, his elbow propped up and his hand supporting his head. He had this grin that Alec had never seen before and he was grateful the lights were off; he would've not admit that he was colouring a little on his cheek.

"What is this?" He asked again, trying to control his slightly wavered tone. Izzy made a gesture to shove her brother on the bed but Alec remained standing by the side. She crooked her neck so that she could see Magnus as Alec was standing in front her.

"A little help here?" Magnus smiled at Izzy and moved forward, his hand reaching out and pulled Alec who fell flat on the bed. The other guy scrambled to his feet but before he could even regained his sense; Izzy was already lying on the bed as well.

"Moved a side, please." She said to Alec in her 'Izzy' tone. Alec scooted a little before he realized just how close he was to Magnus. He moved his focus towards the laptop.

"What have you two been doing?" Alec asked again, although this time it was less resign. The three figures on the bed were now lying like tunas on their stomach with Alec in the middle. Izzy pressed something on her laptop and a video was playing.

"I was showing Magnus our old videos. The one that mom made when we were just little kids."

Izzy put her chin on her folded arms and looked at the screen. Alec could do nothing but watched along, pretending not to steal a glance towards the guy next to him.

Magnus voice suddenly broke their attention on the screen, well mostly Alec's attention.

"I never knew you were as cute as you are right now since you were three." He practically purred the words at Alec who looked like he'd just swallowed something and it got stuck in his throat.

"Shut up." Was all his response as he rolled his eyes. Magnus laughed even more at that. After a few other videos and four hours later, Magnus started to yawn. Izzy had long fall asleep and was curled beside Alec. He'd covered her with his blanket and pushed away a few strands of hair on her face.

"Do you want to stop?" Alec whispered to Magnus. The taller one didn't reply; Alec turned his head and noticed that Magnus had his eyes closed and his breathing was smooth signifying that he too had fallen asleep.

Alec pulled the laptop shut and put it away as far as he could in his position. He lied back down on his side facing Izzy and wrapped his arms protectively around her shoulder. She snuggled even more into his embrace.

"Alec?" A voice said from behind him.

Alec froze a moment before turning his head slowly towards Magnus.

"What is it?" He asked. Magnus seemed a lot more vulnerable in that state, his hair sprawling widely across the bed and his face lack in the certainty that he always held.

"Nothing." Magnus looked drowsy. His eyes were half lidded but Alec could still see the glow in his eyes. His lips parted when he continued,

"I've always wanted to say that to you." And then he smiled lopsidedly. If Alec didn't know better he'd thought that Magnus was being delirious. Maybe he was?

"Go to sleep, Magnus." Alec softly said.

"Good night, Alexander." Alec said nothing. He kept his quiet and watched as Magnus relaxed and fell into a deep slumber.

"Magnus?" He didn't move. Alec leaned his head forward a little bit and whispered,

"I'm sorry."

**Please accept the last line from me. I know I'm a day behind but this chapter was a little bit longer. I've been reading a few Malec stories out there so don't blame me for the last part. My adrenaline brought it. XD**

**Look forward to the next one. *wink wink**

**Don't forget to leave your review on this chapter! :)**


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